Hi, I saw your post about taking requests for Charlie Weasley. I'd appreciate it if you wrote about him and his pregnant wife( reader). You can choose the scenario.
Baby on Board (Harry Potter x Reader HC)
🌸 Characters in this chapter: Charlie Weasley and Barnaby Lee.
🌸 Spoilers: none.
Request from an anonymous person on Tumblr, thank you so much! They suggested I write something featuring Charlie Weasley and a pregnant reader (who would therefore be female). I added Barnaby because he is definitely my favorite character from the video game Hogwarts Mystery :)
A few mature references in the second part (the one about Barnaby), but nothing too bad.
Charlie
• We cannot say it enough, but Charlie had never—EVER—planned on becoming a dad or having a child, whether in a year or even decades from now; he had never even considered settling down with anyone, if you can believe it!
• But it must be said that he was sorely mistaken, and that his mother, who was desperate for another grandchild (because you can never have enough!) especially from her second-born, was delighted to learn that Charlie had met someone, and that this person, you, was charming and enchanting enough to have managed to win over THE Charlie Weasley, renowned for having eyes only for his beloved dragons. Getting together with you had initially been quite an ordeal in itself for the redhead, but he had quickly learned to cherish every moment spent with you in your little cabin not far from the dragon reserve in Romania, where you had made your home for the past few years.
• So, when you went on to announce to your husband, and then to your mother-in-law, that you were pregnant, Molly celebrated in a big way, inviting the whole family to the Burrow and throwing a party that lasted several days (Charlie and his kind, of course, making sure you did not drink any alcohol and that you take breaks).
• You and Charlie had decided to move closer to your two families so you could raise your baby near them. Charlie was a little sad at the thought of leaving Romania, which had been his home for many long years... But this marked a new beginning for the three of you, as well as an opportunity to establish your own dragon reserve in the United Kingdom.
• The move did not take long, since everything had been send by magic to your new place; you were able to settle into your new home very quickly, before your growing belly became too much of a hindrance.
• Charlie had had to wait a long time before he could finally fully accept that he had left his old job—and his old life in general; the man he had once been would have given up everything to keep working there, but… His new self, on the other hand, would have given anything to keep living by your side, without fully realizing that he had ultimately committed to becoming a dad. And that, more than ever, he did not regret his decisions. Much to his own surprise.
• At night, when you went to bed, Charlie had always made it a habit to kiss you goodnight; and, since there were no longer just the two of you, but three, he would also kiss your belly before lying down and holding you close, as if you might run away. Which you would not actually do for anything in the world, especially for this man who had almost without hesitation left behind the job and the old life he cared so much about. Just for you.
• Guilt would sometimes wash over you, precisely when you thought about the sacrifices Charlie had had to make to stay with you and create the perfect environment for your unborn child; but Charlie would simply say each time, smiling from ear to ear, that he had just traded one dream for another. And that his sanctuary project in the UK was underway, so he had absolutely no regrets.
• Well, let’s be honest one more time... Charlie knows everything there is to know about dragons, like a veritable living encyclopedia; he knows far less, however, about the conception and raising of human children. So, taking a cue from his precious dragons, he had (secretly) prepared a little “nest” for you where you could relax and quietly give birth to your beloved little bundle of joy. He had waited for you to come home after a quick personal outing, shouting “surprise!” the moment you walked through the door, presenting his creation to you with unabashed pride.
• Needless to say, once you realized what was going on, you could not help but burst out laughing. However, your mother-in-law, who was with you at the time, did not find it nearly as funny...
• She even rushed out to buy a wonderful book titled “Babies for Dummies” for her son. The human version, of course.
~
Barnaby
• Without a doubt, this the man most fascinated by the magic of nature and creation on this Earth. He was already amazed by the fact that a Niffler—or any other living creature—could give life, but that fascination only grew stronger when you yourself eventually became pregnant.
• Even though, of course, you were not exactly thrilled to be compared to a Niffler—even though you adored those little creatures.
• Barnaby stays by your side throughout your entire pregnancy, even more attached to you than he usually is, especially to watch your belly gently round out as the days go by.
• He has undoubtedly become your most devoted bodyguard since the announcement of the impending baby. Especially toward his own family, who are not so sure they will accept the arrival of this child, due to too many differences between the daughter-in-law they demanded and the one they ended up with. But Barnaby learn, with time, that he did not care anymore about his parents'thoughts.
• Barnaby will certainly cry throughout the entire delivery, repeating over and over how sorry he is to put you through this, much to the amusement of the nurses, who have been entertained for at least two consecutive years, without a doubt.
• At the moment of birth, while everyone’s attention is focused on the newborn (yours included), Barnaby, on the other hand, will repeatedly check to make sure you are okay, wiping your forehead and holding you in his arms, whispering soothing words to calm you down and, of course, reminding you that it is finally over.
• It is only when the newborn is finally placed in your arms that Barnaby finally seems to remember that he became a dad just a few minutes ago; he watches you cradle the baby with teary eyes, and nearly faints when you offer to let him hold his child in turn.
• He, too, given his passion for animals and magical creatures, is used to observing newborns all day long. He had, however, never before been able to examine or hold a human baby—and certainly not his own, of course—which once again brings him close to tears, but he tries to be strong for you… and also because he is starting to find it a bit annoying that the nurses are making fun of him, too.
• "...I can’t believe you could have created something so perfect,” he whispers to you as he watches the tiny infant grab his finger with remarkable strength for such a small being.
• You try not to laugh as you reply, “You helped create this baby too, you know...”
• And, once again, the nurses (as well as you yourself—you cannot deny it) got to watch Barnaby turn Gryffindor red as fast as a Golden Snitch flying at full speed.
Hello! May I please ask for general dating headcanons for Murphy? (HP Hogwarts Mystery) Thank you so much! ✨️
Murphy M. : Love with a Capital L (Harry Potter x Reader HC)
🌸 Characters featured in this chapter: Murphy (Hogwarts Mystery).
🌸 Spoilers: Knowing who Murphy is is enough to read this.
Someone on Tumblr asked me for a general, romance-focused headcanon about Murphy; which made me really happy, since Murphy is one of my favorite characters. So here it is—I hope you enjoy it!
(I only take requests for headcanons about Harry Potter!)
Murphy
• Murphy is, generally speaking and in his own words, very comfortable with friendship and human relationships of any kind.
• That said, all of this was before he started experiencing feelings that were much more... romantic. For you, of all people.
• He knows little about romance and has never wanted to ask anyone for advice. In fact, almost unconsciously, he had long since given up on any kind of romantic relationship, even though he had been madly in love with you for years without really noticing it.
• It took him a long time to realize that he loved you differently from his friends, because something like that had never happened to him before, and he thought (unfairly) that he could never make someone like you love him that way anyway. Be kind to him about this!
• You were the one who had to confess your feelings to him first; otherwise, he never would have done so. This is a very experimental relationship, but it does not seem awkward at all.
• He does believe, however, that if your relationship goes wrong at some point, it will surely be at least 87% his fault... Maybe even more.
• He may be a bit gruff and a bit blunt in his actions and words, but he does not mean any harm; that’s just how he has always operated, and how he has managed to make his mark. But he wants to learn to be more considerate, if only for you!
• He insists that his close friends call him by his last name, but makes an exception for you; he loves hearing his first name from you, so you are the only exception he allows.
• Loves having you sit on his lap so he can wrap his arms around you and hold you close; if he could, and if Professor Snape had no objection, he would do it all day long, at any rate.
• He often makes references to you during his Quidditch commentary, whether you are playing on the field or not, which tends to annoy Professor McGonagall… Even though, secretly, she finds this behavior rather cute—something she would never admit for anything in the world; her reputation as a teacher feared and respected by her students depends on it!
• Murphy is a chess fan—everyone knows it... And he often wins, because he is extremely good at it. But, seeing that you constantly lose when playing with him, he started pretending to let you win at times... Seeing your smile and hearing your cries of joy is all that matters to him!
• You did not take long to realize the truth, though... But all he wanted was to make you happy, so you forgive him...?
• In a nutshell, Murphy is and will always be your undisputed biggest fan. And this despite life’s ups and downs and the difficulties to come—or even those already here.
• Surely what we can call, without hesitation, Love with a capital L.
🌸 Characters in this chapter: Merula and Orion (characters from the game "Hogwarts Mystery").
🌸 Spoilers: You’ll need to know a little about Merula’s past—specifically regarding her parents—to enjoy this story.
A request from @hphmf. I hope you will like it!
Merula
• It is no surprise, but ending up in a relationship with THE Merula was almost the last thing you ever expected in your life… Maybe even more so than seeing Ben eventually overcome his almost constant fear of everything and anything.
• Say what you will, and Merula too, but your love story did not start out like a fairy tale—far from it; at the very beginning, you could not stand each other, or even stay in the same room for too long, lest you end up fighting and, incidentally, getting detention for unauthorized dueling. And plenty of other wonderful things, some of which nearly got you expelled from Hogwarts for a few days.
• But, over time, and through the trials you endured side by side, you finally began to understand each other; the reason behind their actions, the fears and weaknesses hidden at all costs, but also... the feelings.
• At first, you simply did not want to believe it; you, in love with Merula, that horrible witch who spent her time bragging about nonexistent exploits, and who never stopped wanting to see you fail?
• But since when had that childish and exhausting attitude Merula had at the very beginning of your school days begun to change, until she became the person you had fallen madly in love with...?
• You had eventually come to understand each other, and realized that this old, childish rivalry was holding you back, preventing you from becoming what you dreamed of being deep down inside.
• For you, the choice had been made so long ago that you no longer remembered it very clearly; but for Merula, whose parents were Death Eaters and who was silently destined by those close to her to follow in their footsteps, choosing to become a curse-breaker had not been an obvious choice—far from it.
• At home, as she grappled with the loneliness caused by the absence of those who had raised and loved her, she had learned to distinguish between true love and superficial affection; her aunt, who had never really wanted to care for her, had never truly loved her. It was for this reason that, as Merula discovered other ways of living with others upon entering Hogwarts, she had initially wanted to keep her distance from that apparent stability and the tangled web of emotions.
• Over the years and through trials, she had come to realize that there was another way to love, another way to live, different from the one she had known since her parents’ departure; to be happy, to be loved, and to love in return. Authentically.
• She had thus insisted on following you on your various adventures as a spellcaster, willingly or by force, finally realizing that it was indeed up to her to take her own destiny into her own hands, to rise above and seize the new opportunities that presented themselves to her, lest she have to draw a definitive line under the dream life she so ardently desired, deep down inside. A normal life, with a simple touch of madness, but nonetheless surrounded by love.
• She had taken your outstretched hand—you who had been her rival for nearly all the years you spent at Hogwarts. If someone had once told her what her future would look like, she would have gladly let nausea overcome her.
• And yet. Today, she saw no other purpose to this life she had previously built on unstable foundations, which could have crumbled at any moment. But you had been there, believing in her, supporting her, strengthening those foundations that had once seemed so insignificant and useless.
• Now, you were known as England’s most famous curse-breaker duo, an achievement that still left Merula speechless every time she was recognized on the street and cheered for who she had become, instead of people trembling with every step she took, as her former schoolmates used to do.
• You had been there to prove to her that, at any moment, one can choose who they truly want to be, despite the ghosts of the past, which constantly haunt us.
~
Orion
• You were never really good at school; sure, your grades were decent, but... In the eyes of your parents, for whom excellence meant everything, you were a complete failure.
• Despite your immense efforts, your desperate tears, and your constant anxiety, someone always ended up outperforming you in every subject. Except one.
• Flying on a broom. From your very first year, when you first tried to mount a broom, you were blown away by the sensations you experienced; you had never felt so free, twirling among the clouds as you did, as if every movement had been etched into your body and soul long before you were born.
• Your love for brooms had begun on that famous September day; while you performed one magnificent maneuver after another, with no prior experience, your classmates struggled to summon their own brooms, watching you with a mix of envy, admiration, and jealousy.
• Madam Hooch, stunned herself after watching you fly like that for several long seconds, ordered you to come back down; you had expected a scolding, knowing you were not supposed to fly during that first lesson, but...
• On the contrary, your flying instructor did not hesitate for a single second to bombard you with questions; were you already familiar with broom flying, had your parents taught you how to do loops before you started at Hogwarts, were you aware of the true talent you possessed in this area...?
• It was the first time in your life that someone had complimented you like that, and especially that someone had raved about one of your “hidden talents.” You, who had always believed yourself to be a failure, then chose to throw yourself wholeheartedly into the majestic art of broom flying.
• And very soon, Madam Hooch had offered you a spot on your house’s Quidditch team, remarking that “such raw talent was just waiting to be polished, like a diamond.” Such a compliment had nearly moved you to tears as you took your first steps onto the Hogwarts Quidditch pitch, clad in your house colors, to meet your new teammates.
• It was a young man, with dark skin and a gentle smile, who first noticed your arrival; he quickly introduced himself as Orion, and seemed quite cheerful at the idea of having a new recruit on his team, knowing that he was the captain.
• He quickly understood why Madam Hooch had personally recommended you for the position of Chaser. You were just as comfortable in the air as you were on the ground, if not more so; you seemed to be one with your broom, as if it were nothing more than an extension of your own body.
• With you, winning the Quidditch Cup at the end of the year had been a breeze, and the same went for the years that followed; no one had ever seen such a genius, especially at such a young age. Your future as a professional Quidditch player already seemed set in stone, and you were already dreaming of spending your entire life doing just that.
• But you had overlooked one detail that changed everything.
• To your parents, Quidditch was simply a barbaric, illiterate activity; you had never told them about your love of flying, precisely because you knew better. But you could not hide it from them forever; they eventually discovered your intentions and were furious.
• So furious that they threatened—even though you were not even seventeen yet—to cut all ties with you, but also to leave you alone, with no one to rely on, and no money.
• So you had to make a choice, and it devastated you: give up your future in Quidditch, all so you could keep your parents in your life, which looked bleaker than ever now that you had had to abandon your dream. Your parents, who had discovered that you were on your house’s Quidditch team, had also insisted that you quit immediately, under threat of severe consequences.
• Devastated, you went to share the news with Orion, your captain and dear friend, for whom you secretly had a crush. You explained that you wanted to stop playing matches and attending practices so you could focus on your studies; but he looked at you with confusion.
• “...why would you want to leave the team so suddenly, when your grades are still average? I get the feeling something else is forcing you to do this—am I wrong?”
• Orion had always been quite good at sensing others’ emotions and understanding them as if they were his own. That was one of the main reasons you had fallen in love with him; but you had no choice: you had to stay in your parents’ good graces, no matter what. And that’s what you had finally explained to Orion, head bowed.
• Your long explanation was punctuated by an equally lingering silence, before Orion spoke again.
• "Why do you feel compelled to please your parents, when they’re barely capable of seeing that their own child has a true gift? Sure, they don’t like Quidditch... But is that a valid reason to deprive you of your dream?"
• It hit you like a slap in the face. Your entire life, you had strived to be as perfect as possible in your parents’ eyes... But for what reason, exactly...? They, who were incapable of seeing what truly made their child happy, and who remained stuck in prejudices that were slowly and silently destroying you?
• “They don’t deserve you,” Orion had continued, placing a hand on your shoulder. “But you deserve to become whatever you want to be. And I’ll be there to make sure of it.”
• That sentence, which seemed so trivial at the time, had nevertheless stayed with you during the many years that had passed since then—years that had been among the most beautiful you had ever experienced.
• You had finally decided to listen to your own heart, your own reason; you had become a professional Quidditch player, despite the threats from your own parents, from whom you had heard nothing since. And Orion, true to his own promises, had stayed by your side, and you were now able to live as you saw fit.
Sirius Black x Potter!Reader - Nothing lasts forever (4/4)
Summary : You and Sirius always knew you would become very special to each other since your encounter—and that’s exactly what happened. But, unfortunately, nothing is certain in times of war… Not even love. Or family.
Words : 3.5k.
Canon deaths, fluff, family reunion, angst with happy ending (?), reader is Harry's aunt and James's sister, reader is female, pregnancy.
English is not my first language. Reading the previous parts is essential to understand this chapter!
Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3
“What are you doing here, Remus?” you had asked in a low voice, your face pale.
It was now far too late to hide Sirius, who was still in his Animagus form, or to pretend you did not know him. Remus had already recognized his old friend, and if you did not want the situation to get any worse, you had to act quickly.
The werewolf, clearly torn by an internal dilemma, remained silent for a long moment before answering in a cautious voice.
"... I didn’t tell you because I wanted to surprise you, Cassie, and Harry... But I’ve been hired to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts this year... I think, however, that you have a lot more to explain than I do," he finished, glancing again at Sirius, who was sitting right next to you, his ears lowered.
"... Yes. We need to talk, Remus. Alone."
You had whispered this quickly, taking your friend by the arm and leading him to a slightly more secluded spot in the station, Sirius following without protest, still in his animal form.
Remus apparently did not know what facial expression to choose; a mixture of fear, anger, disappointment, and incomprehension was written all over his face, despite the fact that, over the past few years, you had told him time and time again that your husband could never have done such a terrible thing—or, if he had, it would have been against his will.
Remus had never really known where to stand on this thorny issue; certainly, he wanted to believe in Sirius, one of his closest friends, but the facts spoke for themselves: all that had been found of Peter was a single finger, and the Potter family’s secret keeper was supposed to be Sirius himself. No one, not even you, had been informed of the change that had been secretly made at the last moment, and which had led to the deaths of your brother and your best friend; deep down, Remus had always been plagued by doubt.
That was why your lifelong friend had given you a chance to explain yourself, instead of immediately reporting Sirius’s presence—a prisoner wanted throughout the country. You had isolated yourselves, and after casting a silencing charm around you, you had begun your explanation, while your daughter and nephew chatted innocently a little further away, out of earshot.
“Peter is still alive…?” Remus finally whispered, unable to fully believe what you had just revealed to him—something you understood perfectly well. “And… he was the keeper of James and Lily’s secret…?”
The poor werewolf, already exhausted from the previous full moon, was now torn between two versions of the story: the official one—the one that made Sirius the culprit—and the unofficial one, the one you had just revealed to him, the one that pointed to Peter as the one responsible for all those deaths. He could not bring himself to believe it.
And yet. Remus trusted you, the only friend he had left; he had always preferred to remain more or less neutral about the whole affair, whether for your sake or your daughter’s, but also for Sirius’s, whom he would have liked to be able to trust completely after what had happened on that sad Halloween night.
You placed a hand on your friend’s shoulder, showing through this gesture that you were just as surprised as he was by this revelation, and that you supported him. Who could have believed that Peter, that shy and slightly awkward boy—but no less endearing for it—could have done such a thing...? You yourself had a hard time accepting this reality. But you trusted the man you loved, even today.
“We have to find a way to bring the truth to light,” you continued in the same hushed tone, despite the silencing charm. "According to Sirius, Peter has been in his rat form ever since he faked his death nearly twelve years ago; he is now said to be living with the Weasley family. There was a photo of them in Egypt with a rat missing a finger in the newspaper."
The coincidence was indeed rather intriguing, even to Remus.
But how were they supposed to prove that Peter was still alive, and that he had been serving as a pet rat all these years...? No one knew about his ability to transform, not even the government.
Beside you, you suddenly heard Sirius start to growl, louder and louder. Just as you turned to see what was causing such behavior, your blood ran cold.
Molly Weasley was walking toward you, all smiles, with a rat perched on her shoulder—a rat you recognized all too well now that it was right before your eyes. Sirius had been right all along.
And Remus seemed to realize this detail as well, since he tensed up completely, his fists clenched.
Unaware of the veritable storm her presence had indirectly unleashed, Molly reached you, passing through the barrier of the Silencing Charm, which functioned like a gigantic bubble, muffling all sounds outside your small group.
You were thus able to hear the red-haired woman’s next words.
“What a pleasure to see you again!” she exclaimed to you, while also greeting Remus, whom she had never met before. “Ah, excuse me… Scabbers! Come back here!!”
The rat she was carrying on her shoulder had just jumped to the ground, clearly overcome by a sudden, visceral terror; further reinforcing the idea that this rat was indeed Peter, and that he clearly had something to hide. How had you managed not to notice anything, when you had already encountered this creature, which was not really an animal at all? Presumably, Sirius was a far better observer than you were, or perhaps he was driven more by his hatred for Peter—he who knew the truth—which had fueled his irrepressible and absolute desire to punish the true culprit. It infuriated you to know that, all these years, the true murderer of your brother and his wife had been so close to you, never daring to reveal himself. What a coward he had been.
Pulling your wand from your pocket, you cast a spell at the rat with the missing finger, which then, before the wide-eyed crowd, began to grow larger and larger, until it reached the size of a rather stocky man; his appearance had changed enormously during all those years spent posing as a pet rat, but you still recognized him nonetheless.
Peter was very much alive; you had been right to believe Sirius all along.
But, despite the fact that this transformation had attracted the attention of many onlookers, it was nothing compared to the one that followed—one you had not had time to anticipate, let alone prevent.
Peter, in desperation, had snatched a wand from a passerby, which was sticking out of the person’s pocket. With a look filled with terror, but also with hope, Peter had in turn cast the spell to restore an Animagus to human form… at Sirius.
Inevitably, Sirius regained his human form, and the reaction of those present was immediate.
Some began to scream in horror before hugging their children, as if to protect them from this criminal designated as highly dangerous, while others rushed toward Sirius to surround him, quickly casting a spell to render him unable to move even a single finger.
“Sirius…!” you had shouted without thinking, as you watched your husband being attacked from all sides.
The next moment, you, too, were violently immobilized, while Peter, for his part, took advantage of the commotion to revert to his rat form, before running off—not without waving goodbye to you—which only fueled your rage even further.
Was that dirty traitor going to be able to escape once again, leaving a veritable field of ruins in his wake for the second time? No. You could not let that happen; your happiness, your daughter’s, and of course Sirius’s, depended on it. You had barely begun to touch true peace with your fingertips, thanks to his escape from Azkaban; to take it away from you now for the second time, just as he had met your daughter, was far too cruel.
You could not let the other parents summon the Dementors; if that were to happen, it would be the end of Sirius, you knew that all too well. But what could you do, in your condition, unable to speak or move even a single finger...?
“Stop!!” cried a voice you knew all too well, sending an even greater wave of dread coursing through you.
Cassiopeia had just run toward you and stepped between her parents and the rest of the crowd.
“My father and mother have never done anything wrong,” she continued in a loud voice, though it trembled slightly. “Don’t call the Dementors; I’m sure we can prove to you that my parents are innocent…! Don’t take them away from me another time, I beg you...”
It was Molly, snapping out of her immense shock at seeing her pet transform into a man, followed by the appearance of the country’s most wanted criminal, who came over to your daughter to lead her a little further away—for which you were grateful. Few people knew that your husband and the father of your child was the much-feared Sirius Black; Molly Weasley, as a close friend of your little family, obviously did, and had immediately understood that protecting Cassiopeia was the most important thing.
Knowing your daughter and nephew were in the care of the Weasley family, whom you trusted completely, you were caught by the Aurors dispatched there, along with Sirius and also Remus, who served as a witness. Thanks to Cassiopeia’s desperate and emotional intervention, you had been able to prevent Sirius’s immediate and unhesitating execution, for which you were infinitely grateful.
As the Aurors forced you to stand despite the spell that kept you immobilized, you glanced at your daughter, hoping to convey through that simple look that everything would be all right, and that she had nothing to worry about. Seeing her accompanied by her cousin, Harry, as well as the Weasley family, you knew she was safe.
Now, all that remained for you to do was to prove your husband’s innocence once and for all.
And, for nearly twelve years since then, you’d had plenty of time to think about how to pull off such a feat, though you had not been given the chance to reveal it until today.
-------------------------------------------------
"So you were hiding Sirius Black, an extremely dangerous criminal wanted throughout England and beyond, in your home? Since his escape, I suppose?"
The hours had passed, long and tense, as numerous Aurors took turns questioning you over and over again, without a single break. You had told them everything you knew, now that Sirius had had the chance to explain what had really happened twelve years ago.
Trying to hide part of the story would be of no use to you; being honest was what would allow you to achieve your goal, even if this so-called truth seemed far more grotesque than the story everyone knew.
Sirius Black had never been the Potter family’s secret keeper; the one who had filled that role was Peter Pettigrew, who had been posing as a pet rat ever since that infamous and tragic October night. So it was Peter who had betrayed James and Lily to Voldemort, and who had subsequently murdered several Muggles, before cutting off a finger and disappearing in his Animagus form; leaving Sirius as the ideal and undeniable culprit for anyone who might have discovered him that night, laughing to himself like a madman, alone; in reality lamenting the true tragedy that had befallen his entire world because of a single decision—HIS decision—which had led his best friends to their doom.
“...you must agree that this whole story is hard to believe,” one of your interrogators then declared in a firm voice. “What evidence do you have to support your version of the story?”
Strapped to the chair you had been sitting on since the start of your ordeal at the Ministry of Magic, where you had been brought along with Sirius and Remus, you could only smile and laugh bitterly. With all the witnesses who had seen Peter return to his human form, did the government still need concrete proof...?
“It’s extremely simple to verify what I’m saying, what I’ve been repeating nonstop for the past twelve years: Sirius Black, my husband, is innocent. And there’s a very simple way to prove it.”
You leaned forward as far as your restraints would allow.
"Make him drink Veritaserum, prepared right before your eyes from start to finish. That way, he won’t be able to lie to you for even a single second, and you’ll finally learn the truth I’ve been dying to tell you for twelve years. You have nothing to lose, except perhaps some time. But my husband has lost enough of his own, all those years imprisoned for a crime he never committed."
The two Aurors looked at each other for a long moment before deciding to leave the interrogation room, leaving you alone with your hopes and fears. All those years, you had never stopped demanding that Sirius be given a fair trial, and not thrown straight into prison as he had been.
You were perhaps on the verge of realizing that once-unattainable dream of being able to live with those you loved by your side: Cassiopeia, Harry, Remus...
And, of course, Sirius. Unable to spin your wedding ring as you did in moments of distress—because of your bonds—you waited what seemed like hours until someone finally returned to the small room where you were and informed you that a “truth-finding” session would finally be held.
Finally, all your cries and tears had been heard.
A few weeks later, after a brief stay in the Ministry of Magic’s special, high-security cells—while you worried about Cassiopeia and Harry, but also about Remus and Sirius, whom you still had not seen since your arrest— you were taken to another room, of immense proportions yet magnificent, located within the same gigantic building, whose beauty, however, seemed utterly trivial to you compared to what was about to unfold within it.
Knowing that it took a full month for the Veritaserum to be ready, and that its preparation had to be meticulously monitored throughout to ensure its effects, you had to wait all that time in prison, but you knew it would eventually work out for the best; according to the scant information that had reached you, Cassie and Harry had been able to go to Hogwarts for several weeks now, along with Molly’s children. You would have liked to be able to send a simple letter to your daughter and your nephew, both to reassure them and to hear more from them, but you had not been allowed to do so. You consoled yourself, however, by telling yourself that this separation was not eternal, and that it would lead to a long-awaited kind of deliverance.
You had been forced to sit in one of the available seats, not far from Remus, who seemed more exhausted than ever. Finally, as everyone present held their breath, Sirius was in turn led into the room, escorted by numerous Aurors.
Sirius, too, seemed drained of all energy, but his eyes nevertheless reflected a spark of hope that nearly made you burst into tears.
The Veritaserum, which had been meticulously concocted under the watchful eyes of several Potions Masters and Ministry officials, was finally brought to Sirius, who drained the contents of the tiny vial without a moment’s hesitation.
In a monotone voice, now incapable of uttering even the slightest lie, your husband began by recounting how he had escaped from prison; he was then asked to answer several questions, to verify that the potion was indeed working.
Then came the long-awaited moment.
“Sirius Black,” the Minister of Magic asked in a grave voice, though he could not entirely hide his fear in the face of this very peculiar and intimidating prisoner. “Were you at James and Lily Potter’s house the night they were murdered?”
“...I arrived at their house after they were already dead,” Sirius replied in the same monotone, though his eyes were brimming with tears. "Peter Pettigrew was their Secret-Keeper; we had decided this in the utmost secrecy, in order to deceive the Dark Lord. It was Peter who betrayed my friends to Voldemort; and, if I hadn’t decided to change my mind at the last minute, they would still be alive today."
The name Voldemort cast a sense of horror and morbid chill over the gathering; but no one could ignore that the words, spoken by Sirius Black, known for the murder of a dozen people, were necessarily true.
"Peter Pettigrew, James Potter, and I had secretly become Animagi so we could accompany our friend, Remus Lupin, during the full moons. Peter used those very powers to escape that night of October 1981, after cutting off a finger as evidence against me."
Sirius then locked eyes with the Minister, who flinched slightly, trying to act as if nothing had happened. Everyone, now, was certain that the words that had been spoken were the truest the world had ever heard. And they began to see all their beliefs crumble like a house of cards.
The Minister, along with several Aurors and government officials, then left the room to decide whether to let Sirius Black return to his former life or, on the contrary, lock him up again in Azkaban, knowing this time that he had the ability to transform into a dog. It was a true gamble on his survival that your husband had chosen to take, and you hoped with all your heart that his courage would pay off.
Time dragged on at an excruciatingly slow pace; you kept twirling your wedding ring, terrified. Sirius, for his part, was leaning forward, his face hidden behind his hands, while Remus stood with his arms crossed, one of his legs twitching constantly with anxiety.
Several hours later, the jury had finished deliberating and was finally ready to announce the outcome of the trial.
Your breath caught in your throat as you listened to the final decision.
“We find Sirius Black not guilty of the charges brought against him twelve years ago,” declared the Prime Minister in a tense, slightly trembling voice. “The search for the true culprit, Peter Pettigrew, will be officially launched, and compensation for all those years of imprisonment in Azkaban will be offered to Mr. Black as soon as possible. On behalf of the entire wizarding community, I offer my most sincere apologies to Mr. Black, his wife, his daughter, his nephew, and all his friends, who have had to live without their loved one for over a decade."
As he uttered this final sentence, the entire jury bowed in a gesture of forgiveness toward Sirius and you. You had immediately run toward your husband, throwing yourself into his arms and sobbing your heart out. Soon joined by Remus, who could not help but embrace you as well, celebrating through your tears the newfound joy of finally being able to count on the presence of the one you loved by your side.
Admittedly, Sirius had broken the rules by becoming an undeclared Animagus, just like Peter, but this fact had been excused considering all the years Sirius had already spent in jail.
A few days later, Cassiopeia had been specially brought back from Hogwarts to your home—the one where you had lived for the previous twelve years—to spend some time with this father she had never known except through your stories and photos taken a decade earlier.
On your husband’s hand shone once again the ring that had been confiscated during his time in Azkaban, as he lifted your daughter into the air, spinning her around, while Cassiopeia laughed heartily. That young girl had so much of James, her uncle, in her, that it took your breath away every time; and Sirius, just like Remus, had not taken long to notice it.
You were certain, however, that neither of them considered Cassiopeia—or even Harry—a replacement for your brother; they simply saw traces of your late twin in this young girl, in your nephew, who had lost so many years of happiness because of a complete coward, Peter, who was now wanted by everyone in the magical and non-magical worlds.
Your new life was beginning now; and you vowed to do everything in your power to protect this new chance that had been offered to you, while taking great care to punish the true culprits.
For you were sure of one thing: impunity lasts only a time, and sooner or later, one always ends up paying for the horrible acts one has committed.
Sirius Black x Potter!Reader - Nothing lasts forever (3/4)
Summary : You and Sirius always knew you would become very special to each other since your encounter—and that’s exactly what happened. But, unfortunately, nothing is certain in times of war… Not even love. Or family.
Words : 2.9k.
A/N : I'm truly sorry it took me so long to write this chapter; I'm still in the hospital, and now on morphine, so it's getting harder and harder for me to write. But I fully intend to give this story a proper ending! Thank you for sticking with me, and I hope you enjoy this chapter <3
Canon deaths, fluff, family reunion, angst with happy ending (?), reader is Harry's aunt and James's sister, reader is female, pregnancy.
English is not my first language. Reading part one and part two is essential to understand this chapter!
Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 4
The bathroom was just as he remembered it, give or take a few small details. In particular, there were clothes—belonging to someone young—lying on a chair, the very same one from his memories.
It did not take him long to realize that this all-black wizard’s robe, along with the skirt, tights, sweater, and white shirt, belonged to Cassiopeia, who was currently sleeping a few rooms away.
You immediately headed toward the bathtub, where you ran a nice hot bath, while Sirius tried to find his bearings in this house that seemed so familiar to him, and at the same time completely foreign.
Lost in his thoughts, he was brought back to reality by a clearing of the throat—yours, of course. He turned toward you, pointing at the bathtub, which was now filled with steaming water, covered in bubbles of every color.
“...I assure you I’m old enough to take a bath without colorful bubbles,” Sirius joked as he took off his prison uniform, revealing a body thinner than ever.
You rolled your eyes before pushing him toward the bathtub, where he settled in without complaint, letting out a long sigh of relief.
"Cassie’s been pestering me for months to cast a spell on the bathtub; as soon as you use it, it produces foamy water in every color, with a musical note playing every time a bubble pops. She’s not her uncle’s niece or her father’s daughter for nothing; she has a taste for extravagance."
"Brave little girl," Sirius murmured as he closed his eyes, while you set about washing his hair, which was much longer than you remembered. "She’ll go far in life."
Hearing your husband speak of your daughter with such love and adoration in his voice only brought the tears back, but also brought a gentle smile to your face. You were careful not to pull too hard on Sirius’s hair, tangled as it was; meanwhile, the brunet scrubbed his skin vigorously, as if doing so would erase the twelve years he had lost serving a sentence for a crime he had never committed.
You already had a few ideas about how you could prove your husband’s innocence; you had had more than a decade to do so, after all. But for now, you simply wanted to enjoy this moment of calm and relaxation, where only the sound of bubbles popping at regular intervals could be heard. Creating a little musical note each time, just as your daughter had asked you to do a few years earlier.
The one you loved more than anything in the world had finally come back to you.
And you fully intended to seek redress for all the abuse he had had to endure, and all the pain his absence had caused for Cassiopeia and yourself.
---------------------------------------------
The next morning was anything but restful. Your alarm went off at six o’clock sharp, even though you were not working that day, so you could take the time to see Cassiopeia off on her very first day at Hogwarts; but also so you could spend a few moments with your nephew.
Your daughter burst into your room a few seconds after your alarm went off, excited, already dressed in her school uniform, her suitcase in hand.
“Mom, Mom!!” Cassiopeia exclaimed, throwing the door wide open, completely hyper. “We’re going to be late, hurry up! Is Dad coming with us…?” she asked in a much more hesitant tone, but also full of hope.
You glanced at the entirely black dog lying next to you, curled up against your stomach. He—who was, of course, your husband—fixed his steel-gray gaze on yours, and you could not help but notice, once again, the similarities between father and daughter. They both had the same pleading look, one you were simply unable to say no to.
“...Stop looking at me like that,” you mumbled as you kicked the sheets to the foot of the bed. "Your father is wanted by every wizard and witch in Britain, not to mention Muggles. It’s way too dan-"
But you could not finish your sentence, as the two loves of your life made their beaten-dog looks even more pleading.
You let out a long, defeated sigh.
“Fine, all right… But Sirius, you have to promise me you’ll stay in your Animagus form. It’s a matter of life and death, you know that, don’t you?”
In response, your daughter rushed toward you, jumping into your arms while dropping her suitcase on the floor. You felt Sirius transform back into a human as he came to hug both of you, as if his life depended on it.
The hug lasted several long minutes, during which you nearly fell back asleep. But a single glance at your clock was enough to remind you of what you absolutely had to do today.
“We’re going to be late!!” you exclaimed in horror, jumping out of bed. “Cassie, Sirius, let’s go to the kitchen! Breakfast, and then we’re off! We also have to pick up Harry before heading to King’s Cross.”
The mere mention of his godson’s name was enough to make Sirius jump out of bed as well, Cassiopeia still in his arms; knowing how thin your husband had become, you found it strange that he could carry an eleven-year-old girl like this, but you said nothing, content to smile at this adorable and unforgettable scene.
Breakfast passed in joy and good spirits, with Cassiopeia and Sirius discussing, in particular, old pranks that he, Uncle Remus, and Uncle James had pulled during their own school days.
“Releasing a herd of Nifflers into the Great Hall right at mealtime?” Cassiopeia exclaimed, wiping hot chocolate off her mustache, her eyes sparkling with delight. “That’s genius! I want to do that!! Did Mom take part, too?"
"No," you had replied almost immediately, a wave of panic washing over you.
"Yes," Sirius replied instead, with a big, sly smile. "She’d never admit it, because she pretended to be a model student... But she and Remus were the masterminds behind most of our pranks. Although she never got detention herself; she was a prefect, after all. She had a reputation to uphold."
Cupping your face in your hands, you let out a sigh, finding nothing more to add. Because everything Sirius had revealed was true; you had not slacked off when it came to coming up with the best pranks possible, but you had always been resourceful enough to never get caught in the act—unlike your friends and your brother.
“Sirius, stop putting silly ideas in her head…! She hasn’t even set foot in Hogwarts yet and she’s already going to get in trouble—I can just see it coming…!”
But, far from feeling ashamed or regretting what he had just admitted, your husband instead continued to offer some valuable “advice” to his daughter, who listened intently to her father, hanging on his every word.
How long would it be between Cassiopeia’s arrival at school and the moment you would receive a letter detailing the outrageous nonsense your daughter had gotten herself into...? You knew from memory that your brother and Sirius had not lasted more than a week on their own; and, knowing that Cassiopeia possessed the genes of both James and your husband, you were afraid. Extremely afraid.
Poor Professor McGonagall.
But there was nothing more or less you could do, for the moment. You were going to have to wait and see how things played out; yet, in the back of your mind, you could not help but feel a little eager to discover the mischief your daughter was about to get into.
She was her uncle’s worthy niece and her father’s worthy daughter—you had always known that.
And, whether you liked it or not, there was nothing you could do about it.
Even though you would not have traded that little rascal for anything in the world. Or her father, for that matter.
----------------------------------------------
“...it’s one of the closest things to black magic I’ve ever seen in my life,” Sirius declared as he got into your car, settling into the back seat.
Sitting behind the wheel, you shot your husband a bored look, while your daughter took her seat next to her father, all excited.
“It’s just a car, you know. You used to ride a motorcycle, didn’t you?”
“Yes, but that was nothing like this,” he replied, taking a deep breath, rather uneasy about this strange vehicle that began to purr the moment you started the engine.
Rolling your eyes, you saw Sirius revert to his Animagus form so as not to attract unwanted attention once they arrived at King’s Cross Station—or even during the ride there. Cassiopeia, with a smile even bigger than usual that warmed your heart, chatted with her father about this and that, about whatever little thing crossed her mind. Sirius simply barked to agree, or growled slightly to disagree; but, strangely, it seemed that the two were perfectly able to understand each other despite these strange circumstances.
The drive to your nephew’s maternal aunt’s house was cheerful, accompanied by music from the radio. Then, after several minutes of somewhat bumpy driving, you pulled into Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon’s perfectly manicured driveway.
Harry was already waiting for you at the front door, all his belongings still inside the house, knowing that his uncle and aunt would have had a heart attack if their nephew had shown up with his suitcases full of magic books, as well as his owl locked in its cage.
Hedwig landed next to Cassiopeia’s owl in the trunk, and the two animals immediately began chatting, happy to be reunited. Harry, after you had managed to stow the last of his suitcases in the magically expanded trunk, climbed into the passenger seat, fastened his seatbelt, and gave you and his cousin a beaming smile.
“I was so looking forward to your arrival!” exclaimed the young boy with a smile that revealed all his teeth. “It was so boring with Petunia, Vernon, and Dudley… And especially with Aunt Marge; but I stayed in my room and she didn’t speak to me for the entire time she was there, at least. Thank goodness you took me to Diagon Alley to buy my supplies earlier this month; otherwise, I think I would have gone crazy."
With a wistful smile on your lips, you affectionately ruffled Harry’s tousled hair, which was the spitting image of your daughter’s—and your late brother’s, too. You still could not quite believe how much your nephew resembled his father as he grew older; and Sirius seemed to realize it too, judging by the look the brunet was giving his godson. He must have had an overwhelming urge to come and hug him, just as he had done countless times with Cassiopeia, but he managed to restrain himself, much to your relief.
It was not that you did not trust your nephew—who also knew that Sirius had never done anything wrong—but... The fewer people who knew this animal’s true identity, the better.
“...you have a new dog...?” Harry finally asked, bringing everyone back to reality, while Sirius pricked up his ears, clearly noticing that they were talking about him.
“Yes, we found him on our doorstep a few days ago!” exclaimed Cassiopeia as she came over to hug the dog, leaving even more fur on her previously spotless uniform. “We think he had nowhere to go, so we took him in! We named him Paddy.”
You sincerely admired your daughter’s ability to tell this kind of story so naturally. She got that from James, without a doubt.
“He looks nice,” Harry continued, turning toward Sirius and reaching out his hand to pet him gently.
Your husband immediately came over to rub against his godson’s hand, letting out a yelp of joy as he did so.
“Well, I think we’re going to leave,” you said then, starting the car’s engine again. “Petunia is going to end up putting a hole in my windshield the way she’s staring at us.”
Harry could only laugh, overjoyed to be leaving that squalid house again; your nephew had already asked you several times to come live with you, but because of the protection he received while staying with Lily’s sister, you had unfortunately had to refuse, though you explained the reason behind your refusal to him clearly—a decision that broke your heart. Harry was now looking forward to turning seventeen as a true deliverance, and so were you.
“Auntie? Could you, if you’d like, and if you can… Um… Sign my permission slip to go to Hogsmeade…?” Harry suddenly asked a few minutes after you had left, his voice slightly nervous. "Petunia and Vernon hadn’t wanted to do it, so. .. Sorry..."
“Of course I’ll sign it for you!” you exclaimed with a big smile, though you felt a wave of anger rising within you at the mention of your sister-in-law’s refusal to sign a simple piece of paper. “Remind me at the station before you leave, okay?”
Harry nodded eagerly, a beaming smile on his lips, the same one your brother and your daughter wore.
The rest of the trip passed in the same good spirits as the first part, and King’s Cross was finally in sight. Trying to attract as little Muggle attention as possible, you hurried to unload the trunk from the car before heading toward Platform Nine and Three-Quarters, from which the next train to Hogwarts was due to depart in a few minutes.
Sirius accompanied you, still in his Animagus form, running with Cassiopeia toward the platforms like two overexcited children on the first day of vacation. Except that it was not the eve of vacation, but rather the start of the school year.
“I’ll finally be able to get on the train, too, instead of just watching it go away!!” your daughter exclaimed once you reached the platform, which was as crowded as usual. “Do you think I’ll be in Gryffindor, Harry??”
Your nephew struck up a little conversation with his cousin, while you had to elbow your way through the crowd to keep them in sight. Wizards, Muggles who had come to drop off their children, animals running wild, luggage everywhere... And, of course, a train, waiting patiently for its passengers to say goodbye to their families so it could finally set off for Hogwarts.
You could not believe that your precious daughter was already old enough to start magical school. The years had flown by at a staggering pace.
You could not stop the tears from welling up in your eyes, which Sirius, sitting beside you, seemed to notice, since he came over and rubbed his entirely black muzzle against your hand to comfort you. You returned his affectionate gesture by stroking his head in turn, becoming even more aware of your situation.
Cassiopeia would be able to count on both her parents being there to watch her board the Hogwarts Express—something you had dreamed of so much over the past twelve years. It was like a dream finally come true, and you could not help but feel deeply moved by this realization.
While Harry was talking with his best friend’s family, the Weasleys, a voice you knew all too well called your name, causing you to stiffen immediately.
What on earth was Remus doing here...? was all you had time to wonder before your friend was standing right beside you.
He came over and hugged you without hesitation, despite the obvious fatigue on his face—you knew last night had been a full moon. But you, for your part, remained perfectly still, unable to move or say a word.
And the werewolf seemed to realize it, too, since he stepped back, watching you with a worried look.
“Are you… okay?” he asked in a concerned voice, letting go of you.
You silently hoped that Remus had not had time to see Sirius before he came to his senses and tried to slip away quietly. But alas, it was too late; your friend had just spotted his former classmate and seemed to recognize Sirius instantly, even in his canine form.
Remus’s face turned as white as snow, his gaze shifting between yours and Sirius’s, who had also realized that trying to hide from the werewolf was now pointless.
The situation could not get any worse than it had in the space of a single split second.
Sirius Black x Potter!Reader - Nothing lasts forever (2/4)
Summary : You and Sirius always knew you would become very special to each other since your encounter—and that’s exactly what happened. But, unfortunately, nothing is certain in times of war… Not even love. Or family.
Words : 2k.
Canon deaths, fluff, family reunion, angst with happy ending (?), reader is Harry's aunt and James's sister, reader is female, pregnancy.
English is not my first language. Reading part one is essential to understand this chapter!
Part 1 - Part 3 - Part 4
A long silence fell; no one seemed to dare utter a single word, for fear of breaking the spell of the moment. You tried your best to muster your courage, but it was much harder than you had expected; sure, you had imagined time and again what the circumstances of the meeting between your daughter and your husband would be like, but...
None of the many scenarios pre-programmed in your mind could take over; you were speechless, for the first time since that fateful night when you had lost almost everyone dear to your heart.
But today, after nearly twelve years of absence, the man you loved had finally returned to you; so why were you unable to say or do anything else but cry and hold Sirius in your arms...?
It was your daughter, Cassiopeia, who—whether unconsciously or not—came to rescue you from this desperate situation.
“...Dad…?” the young girl ventured in a voice barely louder than a whisper, while you simply responded by nodding, your face in your hands, crying silently to your heart’s content.
Time seemed to stand still in this living room that had witnessed so many memories, as evidenced by the timeless, moving photographs hanging on the walls; snippets of life lived by just the two of you, which you had hoped time and time again would become a trio.
Had your prayer finally been answered? But at what cost...? If Sirius were arrested again, he would die for good—that was more than certain. And you could not let that happen, not after so many years of longing for his presence.
Sirius, upon hearing the young girl so much like him call him “Dad,” stiffened instantly, his arms nearly dropping your figure, still slumped on the floor of this house you had never left, even after his imprisonment.
He stared at the newcomer, finally noticing that her eyes were identical to his; likewise, she had inherited long, thick, unruly black hair, the undisputed symbol of the Potter family.
But that was not what struck Sirius the most. This young girl was the spitting image of him at the same age. He was beginning to understand something he would have preferred never to have to imagine.
He had left you alone with a child, alone with the immense responsibility that a baby entailed. And he had not even suspected it for twelve long years.
How could he possibly hope to be forgiven for what he had done, even if he had been forced to go to Azkaban...? All this time, he had mourned your absence... Without even realizing that not only had his wife been torn from him, but his daughter as well.
But would this daughter, whose existence he was only learning of today, accept him so easily, knowing he had not been there for twelve long years? Knowing he had caused so much pain to this child’s mother, and knowing he had been convicted of murders he could never have committed...?
He was the victim of a veritable hell of destructive and contradictory emotions; had he done the right thing by coming back to see you, or had he merely added fuel to the fire with his impulsive and senseless actions? Once again, he had thought only of himself—
But before he had a chance to finish his thoughts, something literally rushed at him, almost taking his breath away, so unexpected was this turn of events.
There he was, on his knees in that living room that had changed little since he had left, embracing the woman he loved, as well as the fruit of that unconditional love, which had kept him going all these years.
“I missed you so much, Dad…” whispered the girl whose name he did not yet know, but whom he could already say he loved with all his being. “Are you going to stay this time…?”
The young girl fixed her pleading gaze on her father’s, who reached out to wipe a tear from her cheek.
“...I can’t promise anything,” Sirius replied with a bitter smile, as you took both your loves into your arms, holding them close to your heart. “I am... I’m not a good person; I know coming here tonight was selfish of me, but I desperately needed to do it... Staying, however, would mean putting both of you in danger. Something I could never do."
“You’re not a bad person!!” Cassiopeia suddenly exclaimed, fixing her stormy gray eyes—now gleaming with a spark of determination—on her father’s once more. “Mom always told me you had nothing to do with the deaths of all those people, that you were innocent...! And I believe her!!” she finished, wrapping her arms around Sirius and hugging him with all her little strength, while she cried even harder.
He simply could not believe it; in some people’s minds, was he still the person he had been during his childhood, during his years at Hogwarts, during his marriage to the love of his life...? Did anyone really believe that he could never have committed such atrocities, and that he would, on the contrary, have preferred to die rather than hurt those he loved?
“...I’m so sorry for all the pain I’ve caused you,” murmured the dark-haired man, holding the two women of his life even tighter, reluctant to let them even walk away, for fear of losing them once again.
All you could manage in response was a sob slightly louder than the others.
“What’s your name…?” he ventured, addressing your daughter.
She, smiling from ear to ear despite her tears, did not hesitate to answer.
“Cassiopeia Lily Potter.”
The girl named Cassiopeia seemed to think for a moment before adding.
"Sorry. It’s actually Cassiopeia Lily Black, come to think of it."
You could have sworn you heard Sirius’s heart skip a beat. And yours, too.
------------------------------------------
The crying had finally subsided, and you were now busy boiling water to make tea. Seeing your husband’s patched-up clothes—which were nothing more than a worn-out prison uniform—you felt your heart tighten once more as you set two steaming cups on the kitchen table.
Cassiopeia had gone upstairs to bed at your urging, knowing it was past midnight and that she would have to get up early the next morning to catch the Hogwarts Express, bound for her very first year at Hogwarts.
Sirius watched the wisps of steam rising from his cup for a long time, not daring to take a sip; or perhaps he was so lost in thought that he had simply forgotten you had just served him tea.
“...thank you,” he finally said, placing a sadly emaciated hand on yours. "For everything. And for believing in me, when I couldn’t even tell the difference between the deeds I had and hadn’t committed. To tell you the truth... In the back of my mind, I’d long imagined that someone as exceptional as you couldn’t stay alone for very long... I almost expected to find another man in my place, and several children, incidentally... How could I have imagined that you’d been waiting for me all this time, and that I had a daughter...? She is... simply perfect," he continued in a whisper, his throat tight with emotion. "Cassiopeia... It’s a beautiful name. And you gave her Lily's as a middle name. I couldn’t have found a better one, even if I’d tried."
The smile he gave you took you back years, to your wedding day, to be precise. You saw yourselves again with Sirius, at the altar, surrounded by the people dearest to you, swearing eternal love before all those guests. How you wished you could go back to that time...
But you knew that was simply impossible. Tampering with time was an extremely dangerous and unpredictable thing; on the contrary, you risked making the current situation even worse.
“And, on top of that, you never stopped believing in my innocence,” Sirius added, squeezing your hand a little tighter, without hurting you. "I didn’t realize how much I needed to hear that: that someone, finally, believed me incapable of killing my best friends as well as twelve innocent people who hadn’t asked for any of this."
Tears streamed down both your faces even more freely, which struck you as strange. You had, so to speak, never seen Sirius cry, not even on your wedding day; just like yourself, he preferred to laugh at everything rather than lament his fate, as he used to say so well in the past.
Clearly, prison had changed far more about Sirius than you had initially imagined.
"Sirius...? Can you tell me what happened the night Lily, James, and Peter died...?"
The look the dark-haired man gave you was filled with despair, but also with anger, though the latter did not seem directed at you.
“Are you… sure you want to hear this story…?”
“I’ve waited twelve years to know the truth. So yes, I want to hear it. No; I need to hear it.”
Your husband gave you another smile, this time a weary one, before tenderly taking both your hands in his, kissing them, and finally beginning his story.
The truth you had so desperately sought was finally there.
Sirius told you everything that had happened on that fateful night, as well as the role each person had played in that meticulously executed tragedy. And especially Peter’s, whom you had never suspected until today. How could that friend have done such a terrible thing to your brother and his wife...? You, who had believed Peter was dead all these years, were truly shocked to learn he was still alive.
And learning that he was the true keeper of the Potter family’s secret was the final blow. Sirius, who was the most logical choice, had actually insisted that someone else secretly take on that role in his place—someone no one would ever suspect.
Peter had thus been chosen, and had subsequently sold out his friends to Voldemort. And, according to Sirius, Peter was currently living a quiet life as a pet rat belonging to one of the Weasley children—including your nephew’s best friend.
And that made you panic even more, if that were even possible. But Sirius was quick to calm you down; unless he felt cornered, Peter had no reason to harm Harry, or anyone else for that matter. That scum was a coward and a despicable traitor, as you had just realized, and not the shy, endearing person you remembered; he was capable of atrocious things, and so you had to be careful.
“...we’re going to need a good plan,” you had murmured while watching the sun set through one of the kitchen windows. “But before that... I think a good shower and a good meal wouldn’t hurt you, no offense.”
You tried to hold back the tears by making a joke, a trait that had always defined you, and which Sirius, of course, remembered well, making him smile gently before nodding.
“I’m not going to argue with you on that one, my love,” he replied, placing another kiss on your hand, the one where your wedding ring still sparkled.
You had never taken it off.
And Sirius’s heart tightened once more at the realization; with happiness, but also with sadness, knowing that his own ring had been confiscated upon his arrival at Azkaban. He did not know what the future held for him...
But he fully intended to reclaim the pieces of his life that had been stolen from him long ago.
Knock before entering!! (Harry Potter x Reader HC)
🌸 Characters in this chapter: Lily, Sirius, James, and Remus.
🌸 Spoilers: none.
What would happen if, for one reason or another, you walked into their room while they were in their birthday suits...? And this, of course, right when your relationship has just begun!
A few suggestive topics, but nothing too graphic. Reader is neutral.
I can take requests! (Just nothing too explicit, please).
Lily
• It was a completely harmless situation, at least at first.
• As a prefect, the best part of the day was undoubtedly when you went to the restroom reserved for you and your peers in the same position.
• Unfortunately, you were either in such a hurry or completely distracted, because you forgot to check if anyone was already inside.
• So you pushed the door open, whistling cheerfully, only to realize, once inside the prefects’ bathroom, that someone was already there, taking a bath.
• And that very person did not take long to spot you, before letting out a scream loud enough to wake the dead. Which you then recognized as belonging to your girlfriend, Lily Evans.
• Very quickly, bottles of shampoo, brushes, and anything else she could get her hands on were thrown in all directions, while you did your best to dodge them, though you did not quite manage to avoid them all.
• With your forehead red from the soap that hit you, you yelled at Lily that it was just you... Which seemed to calm the redhead for a moment, before she turned as red as her hair, finally recognizing you.
• “You gave me such a scare...! Haven't you ever thought to knock before entering somewhere?” she asks you, raising an eyebrow, trying to regain the dignity that went up in smoke during her previous outburst. “I'm not ready to show myself all na-”
• Before she finally realized, right in the middle of her sentence, that your forehead was now adorned with a magnificent bump, which made her sit up straight all at once, clearly forgetting that she was being modest just a few seconds ago, just to run over to you and make sure it was not anything serious.
• Surviving—or rather, just getting by—with Lily Evans often comes down to chance... and contradictory rules.
~
Sirius
• One evening, when the rest of your friends had already gone to the Great Hall for dinner, you decided to go see what your new boyfriend, Sirius Black, could possibly be doing to be (once again) late.
• You knock softly on the door of his dormitory, but there is no answer. You enter hesitantly, but you hear nothing except Sirius’s voice, which seems to be humming a familiar tune.
• All you can think about is the joy of seeing him, and you forget everything else—especially the fact that, in a room where there is no one but yourself, you tend to go about your business quietly.
• And Sirius is no exception to the rule. You find him standing in front of his wide-open wardrobe, clearly choosing the clothes he is going to wear after taking a nice shower.
• How do you know? It is very simple.
• The brunet is completely naked, his hair still damp. He finally seems to hear you, as he stops humming and turns toward you with a bewildered look.
• But that look quickly shifts to something else; a broad smile spreads across his lips as he strikes a pose, without a hint of embarrassment. Because Sirius has nothing to hide. Quite the opposite.
• Not at all bothered by this intrusion; he is confident in his charms (perhaps a little too much, in fact…), and cannot help but gloat at the massive blush that floods your cheeks in an instant.
• “If you wanted us to arrange a little private evening, just the two of us... You should have said so sooner,” he says, smiling even more broadly.
~
James
• The Quidditch match that had just ended was one of the most spectacular you had ever seen. With James playing Seeker, as always, you knew you were in for a great time.
• This time, however, your new boyfriend had outdone himself. He had pulled off a series of spins and loops—in short, he had put on quite a show—and you suspected that your presence, along with the recent turn your relationship had taken, had played no small part in this daring choice.
• As a result, James had picked up a few injuries, notably from one or two spiteful bludgers. Once the match was over, you had rushed toward the locker rooms, slowed down by the many fans filling the stands, who were screaming and cheering for Gryffindor’s victory.
• It took you several long minutes to reach the locker room, hoping to see your boyfriend and make sure his injuries were minor. And, in any case, to tend to those injuries yourself, knowing that James absolutely hated being stuck in the infirmary and surely would not go on his own.
• Everything was empty, showing that the players had already left to either celebrate their victory or mourn their defeat. You tried your luck anyway, just in case someone was still there—especially the one you were actively looking for.
• It was not until you entered the Gryffindor locker room that you stumbled upon James, clearly just out of the shower, gathering the clothes he was going to wear next, his Quidditch gear resting on one of the available benches.
• You stopped dead in your tracks, mouth agape, staring at the man who was now your boyfriend. You had never realized he was so… muscular. And that realization nearly made you drool, as embarrassing as that might sound; thankfully, it was James himself who snapped you back to reality, finally noticing your presence.
• Far from worrying about his lack of clothes, the brunet instead threw himself at you to hug you, oblivious to the ticking time bomb he had become.
• “So, how did you find me out on the field? Did you see that sloth grip roll I managed to pull off??” he exclaimed, grinning from ear to ear, while you stood frozen, unable to move.
• Then, finally noticing that something was wrong with you, he took on a concerned and much more serious look, before asking you why you seemed on the verge of fainting.
•“... Guess...?”
~
Remus
• One weekend evening, you were supposed to go out with Remus and the rest of your small group of friends; an outing that coincided with the start of your official relationship with Remus.
• Since you had been friends for a long time before deciding to date, you had had a key to his apartment for ages, so you could go over whenever you wanted—and vice versa; Remus had also had a key to your place for years.
• Without a care in the world, you walked into the young man’s apartment, like always, quickly realizing he was still in the shower thanks to the sound of water flowing in his closed bathroom.
• Deciding to wait for him patiently, you sat down on Remus’s couch, smiling happily as you looked at the many photographs of you and your friends that literally covered the walls of the small apartment.
• Finally, you heard the water stop running, and then, a few seconds later, the bathroom door open; turning to face your boyfriend, you were, however, left speechless when you saw the one you were waiting for.
• Remus stood there, in the doorway, with a single towel wrapped around his waist.
• And, just like in a corny, perhaps slightly cheesy comedy, the towel suddenly slipped off on its own, only to fall to the floor in a flurry of colorful fabric.
• It is extremely difficult to say who was more embarrassed of the two, even today. Even though Remus tried to pretend everything was fine, rushing (as calmly as possible) to pick up his towel, and greeting you with a “You're here early, aren't you...!” as casual as he could make it sound...
Sirius Black x Potter!Reader - Nothing lasts forever (1/4)
Summary : You and Sirius always knew you would become very special to each other since your encounter—and that’s exactly what happened. But, unfortunately, nothing is certain in times of war… Not even love. Or family.
Words : 2,6k.
Canon deaths, fluff, family reunion, angst with happy ending (?), reader is Harry's aunt and James's sister, reader is female, pregnancy.
Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4
"... I feel weird."
You rolled your eyes at your twin brother’s usual antics.
"You always have to make such a big deal out of everything, James."
"What do you mean?? You’re about to marry my best friend—that’s no small thing, after all...!"
"Do I need to remind you that you yourself married my best friend a few weeks ago, or is that still fresh enough in your selective memory?"
James stood there stunned for a moment, clearly not having thought it through until then.
"It’s—"
"It’s exactly the same thing; don’t try to make excuses, my dear brother. You married Lily, the one I consider my sister. You’re just as guilty as I am."
James then merely mumbled something unintelligible under his breath, while a soft, warm melody began behind the door you were facing. Knowing that your parents were both ill and therefore unable to attend your wedding, James had offered to walk you down the aisle, where the love of your life—and incidentally, your future husband—Sirius Black, was waiting for you.
And you were so eager for this damn ceremony to be over so you could go dance and drink for the rest of the evening that you literally dragged your brother behind you as you entered the hall; he struggled to keep up with your pace and nearly ended up face-first on the floor, much to the amusement of the guests present.
Finally, you reached Sirius, whose smile was brighter than ever, mirroring your own. His eyes sparkled with happiness and anticipation, despite James’s feigned hesitation when the moment came for him to place your hand in his best friend’s.
“I don’t think I need to say this, but… Take care of her, okay, Padfoot?” your brother whispered in a slightly trembling voice, clearly holding back tears.
“Don’t worry about that, Prongs,” Sirius replied, fixing his gaze on you, more magnificent than ever. “I’ll keep my promise. No matter what."
Reassured, James then took his place behind the groom-to-be, as best man. Facing his own wife, Lily Potter, who was one of the bridesmaids.
The ceremony dragged on at a mind-bogglingly slow pace, especially for those most involved. So, when the instruction to kiss the bride finally came, Sirius didnm not waste a single second in complying, grabbing you by the waist and pulling you backward, before kissing you passionately, without restraint.
And you both could not help but burst out laughing when your brother’s indignant remarks rang out, demanding that Sirius stop immediately or risk going permanently blind.
In response, Sirius continued his highly important task, while you did your best not to burst out laughing, just like the other guests, especially Lily, who could not stop laughing so much that she nearly choked.
It was, without a doubt, the most beautiful wedding you could have ever dreamed of.
----------------------------------------
Nothing lasts forever.
You no longer knew exactly where that phrase came from, but you understood it now more than ever.
The good things, which seem destined to last on and on, often end up crumbling at some point. And that was exactly what happened on October 31, 1981. Without a doubt, it was the worst Halloween party you could have ever hoped for.
You had just learned of the death of your twin brother, James Potter, as well as that of his wife, Lily Potter, who had also been your best friend for nearly ten years. Fortunately, their son, Harry, had survived Voldemort’s attack, but...
Even considering your status as both aunt and godmother, you had not been able to gain custody of him after the tragedy. Dumbledore had assured you that your nephew would be much safer with his maternal aunt, thanks to a protective spell that Lily had unconsciously cast at the moment of her death. You were devastated by all of this, for reasons that were all too obvious.
But the final nail in the coffin had not been driven in yet, even at that desperate moment.
Your husband, Sirius Black, had just been taken away by the Aurors, bound for Azkaban, for the murder of your brother and his wife.
You had not believed it. Sure, Sirius was supposed to be the Potter family’s secret keeper, but… You could not imagine your husband voluntarily revealing the whereabouts of his closest friends, whom he cared for more than anything, and who had been there for him during the worst of times.
Something must have happened, something whose nature you did not know. There was an event you were missing, you were certain of it; but, despite all your doubts, you had not been able to do anything to prevent Sirius from being imprisoned for a crime that, in your opinion, he could never have committed—at least not of his own free will. How could he have killed James, Lily, and Peter, as well as twelve Muggles...?
Compared to his family, Sirius Black was kindness and goodness incarnate.
So you had spent many days fighting—whether against the government to secure Sirius’s release, or at least to ensure he received a fair trial, but also against yourself.
A few days after October 31st, you discovered you were pregnant, alone, while you were trying with all your strength and resources to regain some semblance of your former life.
Remus, the only friend you had left, had stopped by that day, after having heard nothing from his friend for some time. Beginning to worry, he had come to visit you, only to discover a scene that still tormented him years later.
You, sitting on the edge of your bathtub, holding a positive pregnancy test between your trembling fingers, while you cried and screamed at the top of your lungs to anyone who would listen.
“I can't do this, Remus,” you had whispered once your sobs had subsided slightly, just enough for you to be understood. “I’ve already lost my brother, my parents, my best friend, and then my husband… And now I’m going to have to watch my own child grow up without them…? No. It’s too cruel. Far too cruel.”
And so you wept even harder, while Remus tried in vain to comfort you by holding you in his arms. He, too, was mourning the deaths of his friends and Sirius’s imprisonment, but he dared not imagine how utterly devastated you must be, knowing how much closer your bonds were to those involved.
He no longer knew who to believe. On the one hand, he was convinced that Sirius could never do something so atrocious... But, on the other hand, he could not imagine a more likely culprit.
And so, amidst endless tears and immeasurable pain, your new life began slowly.
Deprived of those who had been indispensable to you for most of your existence, without even knowing if you would be able to move forward.
Without even knowing if you would be strong enough to endure it all.
-------------------------------------------------
Surprising even yourself, you had more or less managed to find your way through the memories and regrets. From your union with Sirius, the love of your life, a little girl had been born, who was the spitting image of her father. Without him even being aware of the existence of this little treasure, who seemed to have fallen from the sky to soothe your anger and sadness.
You had decided to name her Cassiopeia Lily Potter, knowing that giving her Sirius’s last name would only marginalize her, given the reason her father had been (unjustly) imprisoned. You, too, had had to make the choice to take back your maiden name, Potter, to avoid the same consequences. And that had destroyed you a little more, if that were even possible.
You had slowly and gently rebuilt yourself, alternating between time spent with your daughter, your friend Remus, who visited you regularly, and your nephew, Harry, whom Petunia, his maternal aunt, had allowed you to see once a month, after being threatened with being turned into a toad by you.
You did not know exactly how you had managed to hold on all these years, without all those people who had once been so indispensable to you. But you had done it; Cassiopeia, eleven and a half years old, was now about to start at Hogwarts, nearly two years younger than her cousin, Harry Potter.
It was during the holidays before your little treasure’s first year that the most unexpected news arrived, just as Remus suddenly apparated at your house, newspaper in hand.
Having worked all day, you had not really had the chance to catch up on the latest news; but, seeing Remus’s distraught expression, you knew that the news contained in that simple piece of paper was not going to be happy.
Sirius Black had escaped from Azkaban, after nearly twelve years locked up in the worst prison in the wizarding world. Your husband’s face was on the front page, and you had some trouble recognizing in this emaciated figure, with disheveled hair and a shaggy beard, the man you had loved, and still loved today.
If he were caught by the Aurors or the Dementors, Sirius was as good as dead. You knew this all too well; and you could not bear such an end, not after surviving twelve years hoping, deep down, that your husband would one day be proven innocent, one way or another, perhaps thanks to the trial you had never stopped trying to bring about all those years. To no avail.
You had collapsed onto the floor, the crumpled newspaper between your fingers, as sobs shook your body for the first time in twelve years. You had sworn to stay strong for your daughter, but in that moment, you could not help but break down in tears.
This had, of course, caught Cassiopeia’s attention, and she had rushed into the living room to see what was happening. There she found you, looking more frail than she had ever seen you, and the man she considered her uncle, Remus, who was doing his best to try to calm your sobs. The young girl then mimicked the older man, without really understanding what was happening; her gaze eventually fell on the front page of a certain newspaper, which had slipped from your grasp.
On the moving paper, a man she vaguely recognized, whose identity she pondered for several long seconds, while she held you in her arms as tightly as she could.
Then, the revelation; she had already seen this man, in the picture you kept on your nightstand. She remembered it, even though the two people seemed to be two different beings.
“Mom…?” Cassiopeia ventured, in a tiny, hesitant voice. “Is… Is that… My father…?”
Your sobs resumed with renewed intensity, as you in turn pulled the young girl into your arms, silently answering her question. She had been right; that man, screaming on the front page of the newspaper, his prisoner number and name clutched in his hands, was indeed her father.
And he had escaped from the prison where he had been held since her birth, nearly twelve years earlier.
You had never hidden the truth from your daughter, as soon as she was old enough to understand. Her father had been found guilty of horrible things, but you knew he had been falsely accused. And you had been quick to let your daughter know this, while asking her, however, never to speak of this subject to anyone, for her own safety.
She could not help but feel strange at the thought, in her young mind, that this father—whom she had never actually seen—might finally be able to meet her.
And, without yet knowing it, her prayers were eventually answered.
----------------------------------------------
It was the eve of Cassiopeia's first day at Hogwarts when someone knocked on your door, even as the sun had already nearly set.
Still shaken by the recent news—and despite the fact that a week had passed without any further reports of your husband in the media—you cautiously opened the door, wand in hand, expecting anything and everything, especially at such a late hour. Indeed, Voldemort had already shown some signs of returning, so you had to consider every possibility to protect what you still had: your beloved daughter, who was currently in bed.
You opened the door slowly, pointing your wand in the direction of the person standing on the porch—or at least where they should have been. It was not until you looked down that your eyes fell on the silhouette of an animal—more specifically, an entirely black dog.
Standing motionless for a long moment before this sudden apparition, your brain finally managed to function again once the shock had passed.
The animal, filthy and with matted fur, was dangerously thin. He watched you with a gaze that was at once sad, hopeful, and cautious. But you would have recognized him anywhere.
Tears immediately welling up in your eyes, you stepped aside to let the dog in, which he did in a single bound, clearly just as eager as you were.
He stood before you for several long seconds, as if trying to determine whether you would accept what he was about to do. But you did not give him time to wonder any longer; your cheeks streaked with tears, you threw yourself at the dog, pulling him close to you, ignoring the dirt that stained his fur.
You began to sob even harder, wrapping your arms around the animal’s slender form; which then slowly began to grow, until it became once again the man you had once loved, and whom you still loved today.
“Sirius…” you whispered in a faint voice, choked with emotion. “I… I missed you so much…”
“I missed you too, my love,” he replied in the same tone, his voice somewhat hoarse compared to the memories you had. “Not a day went by without me thinking of you.”
You remained entwined like that for a long time, savoring not only your closeness but also the presence of the one you loved. You were closer to each other than you had ever been in nearly twelve years.
It was like living a dream. You still could not believe that this man, the one you had loved so deeply, and for whom your heart still beat, had come back to you. It was now your duty to protect him from anyone who might try to hurt him further, now that he was back.
As you both melted into the arms of your long-lost other half, hesitant footsteps could be heard upstairs—footsteps you would recognize anywhere.
The weight of reality hit you all at once, nearly taking your breath away.
How were you going to tell your husband, who had been unjustly imprisoned, that he had actually had a daughter for eleven and a half years now, to be exact, without the person in question ever having been told before...?
You stepped back slightly from Sirius, locking your eyes with his. You could see all the love he had for you, but also a certain worry, at the way you had pulled away.
And perhaps also because of the young girl, with black hair and gray eyes, who had just appeared at the bottom of the stairs.
“Sirius... I have to introduce you to someone,” you managed to whisper, your throat tight. “Someone... special. Very special.”
Spoilers may be present for those who are not up to date with the original work.
Images used do not belong to me. Also, English is not my first language.
As usual, the journey to her next class was filled with good cheer, with friends chatting and joking here and there. (Y/N), a seventh-year Hufflepuff, was generally well-liked among her peers, but also among her teachers, thanks to her kindness and almost angelic altruism.
If anyone had a problem, they would not hesitate for a second before coming to confide in and seek advice from (Y/N), who would then make it her mission to comfort the person and think of a way to deal with the problem at hand, without ever expecting anything in return. And that was her greatest strength.
As she happily followed her classmates through the corridors lit only by lanterns, she suddenly caught the eye of a certain Slytherin, also in his final year, who was also quite famous among the students at Hogwarts. Blessed with almost blinding beauty, black hair and magnificent eyes the color of steel, Regulus Black was also, in a different way, relatively popular; the main difference with (Y/N) was that the young man was not very sociable, was intimidating, and spent most of his time isolating himself as much as possible, or hanging out with other Slytherins, without ever saying more than a few words.
(Y/N) and Regulus were, thus, like night and day. No one had ever seen them interact with each other, and for good reason; in addition to being from different houses and having personalities that were polar opposites, (Y/N) was, in the eyes of most Slytherins, nothing more than a mudblood witch, the product of a pure-blood wizard and a Muggle.
There was therefore no chance that the two would ever speak to each other, let alone become friends.
The two passed each other without so much as a second glance; (Y/N) returned to her conversation with her friends, and Regulus buried himself back in one of his potions books, listening distractedly to his classmates' conversation, which suddenly turned to something else.
“Once again, she's not bad looking, that (Y/N)!” exclaimed one of the Slytherins accompanying Regulus, loud enough for him to hear. “Too bad her blood has been tainted by her Muggle mother...”
“That's for sure,” added another, snickering. “What was her father thinking, a pureblood for dozens of generations, to go and mess around with a vulgar Muggle...? What a waste! Luckily she didn't have any brothers or sisters, so that's fewer impure bloods.”
Regulus said nothing, his eyes fixed on the lines of his book, but unable to continue reading, knowing what he had just heard. His fingers clenched the pages of the book, crumpling them slightly before simply tearing them.
“Regulus?” asked a Slytherin with long black hair tied up in a sophisticated bun, Milencia, who was in the habit of staying by Regulus's side at every opportunity. “What's wrong?”
The dark-haired boy shook his head, closing his book with a silent sigh and closing his eyes briefly.
“I need to go to my dormitory to change books, this one is torn,” Regulus said in a calm and composed voice, symbolic of his rank and unprecedented lineage.
“I'll come with you.”
But before the girl, Milencia, had time to say anything, Regulus turned around and headed in the direction of his dormitory, or at least as far as he needed to go.
As he passed one of the many broom cupboards scattered throughout Hogwarts, he felt something gently grab his arm and pull him into the tiny storage room, which smelled of dust and mustiness.
The door slammed silently behind him, and he immediately sensed the presence of another person; the next moment, someone whispered Lumos, and a faint glow lit up the closet.
“I knew you'd find an excuse to turn back,” whispered (Y/N) teasingly, her laughing eyes diving into Regulus's cold gray ones. “Did you miss me that much?”
A tiny smile finally found its way onto the young man's face, and he wasted no time in embracing the woman who had been his girlfriend for two years already. They had kept their relationship a secret because of the huge difference in their social status, which could have led to disaster if it had ever become public knowledge.
“You know me well,” Regulus replied in the same tone, leaning toward (Y/N), whose eyes slowly closed. “But you're going to be late for class, dear Head Prefect.”
The two young adults kissed with all the passion that their secret love allowed them. They remained like that for a long time, entwined, savoring their passionate kiss, hidden from the eyes of the world.
In this place alone, where their love could blossom without stirring up the hatred of others.
-------------------------------------------------
As usual, (Y/N) did not hesitate for a second before throwing herself on the various dishes as soon as they appeared on the endless tables scattered around the Great Hall.
She was, of course, seated at the Hufflepuff table, opposite the Slytherins, but that did not stop her from stealing discreet glances in that direction, where her secret boyfriend, Regulus Black, proud heir to the noble House of Black, was seated.
She still could not believe that she, a little Hufflepuff with no history and a half-blood to boot, had been able to attract the attention and love of this young man, who was, in her opinion, far beyond what she could claim to have. And yet.
She and Regulus had been dating for two years now, and she had never been happier than she was at that moment. But at the same time, those two years had been among the most difficult of her entire life.
Both of them were forced to hide their relationship from others, for reasons that were more than obvious, but which (Y/N) found increasingly difficult to bear. She was secretly becoming more and more nervous about the future of their love; it was common in pure-blood families to arrange marriages as soon as school was over, and it was obvious that Regulus, in addition to being formally forbidden to marry a half-blood, would end up being promised to another woman, perhaps even Milencia, the Slytherin with long black hair who seemed to particularly like Regulus and who came from a very influential and important family in the pure-blood wizarding world.
(Y/N) had virtually no chance of being accepted by her boyfriend's parents; she had known that for a long time now. But this reality was slowly killing her from the inside; she had even come to believe that, as other students said to her, she had absolutely no place in the more elitist circles of her magical world. She knew she had no business being with someone like Regulus; all she could bring to the young man was dishonor and shame, in addition to being disowned by his own family.
So she had remained silent for more than two years, while her doubts and despair grew stronger and stronger. She knew she should have let Regulus go, because she could only drag him down, but she could not. Her love for him was far too pure and immense to be cast aside like that.
She was resigned to pretending that she and Regulus did not know each other most of the time, and to enjoying a few stolen moments of intimacy here and there when no one was around. She was reduced to watching the friends of the man she loved interact with him freely, while she was forbidden to do so. And every time she saw Milencia talking to Regulus, looking at him as if he were her lifeline and she were a castaway in the middle of the sea, (Y/N) withered away a little more.
She may have kept her cool, at least physically, but in reality she was constantly on the verge of breaking down. She wanted to shout to the world that she and Regulus were dating, but she could not; her boyfriend had warned her enough that she was taking a big risk by exposing their relationship. And he too, although this fact seemed to worry him less than his girlfriend having concerns about feelings that perhaps should never have arisen.
Milencia was currently busy talking to Regulus, sitting right next to him, clutching his arm as if to prevent him from running away. Regulus said nothing, as composed and noble as usual; even though, since she had been around him, (Y/N) had learned to decipher his every little gesture. And now, she could easily tell that Regulus was upset by the closeness to his classmate.
But that was not what was going to ease her sadness. (Y/N), who had not spoken for several minutes, and had abandoned her plate and its contents to one side, discreetly rose from the table and, with her eyes downcast, slipped as quietly as possible out of the Great Hall, leaving behind the sight of her boyfriend, forced to accept Milencia's familiarity in order to remain in the good graces of his parents, Orion and Walburga Black.
(Y/N) simply could not take it anymore. In addition to the intense pain of not being able to be with the one she loved freely, of having to pretend they did not know each other for her own safety, of having to tolerate contact between her boyfriend and another girl who might become his wife...
She simply felt that Regulus did not care about her as much as she cared about him, as silly as that might sound. She knew Regulus loved her, as he had already shown her many times... .
But she could not live like this anymore. In doubt, in fear of being replaced overnight, when her boyfriend's parents decided it was time for their youngest son to get engaged and then married.
She wandered through the endless corridors, dragging her feet, tears of frustration welling up in the corners of her eyes. She just hoped she could reach her dormitory, and thus her bed, before she finally burst into tears.
But her plans were thwarted by the sudden arrival of someone she did not hear approaching her, but who she felt grab her arm, not hurting her, but firmly nonetheless.
She turned quickly toward the newcomer and felt her eyes widen as she recognized Regulus, who had a worried expression on his face that contrasted sharply with his usual stoicism.
“What's going on?” asked the dark-haired boy, frowning, trying to reestablish eye contact, but (Y/N) lowered her head, ashamed of having been caught lamenting like that.
Especially by Regulus, the very cause of her grief.
“Nothing,” she replied automatically, turning her head away. “I'm just not feeling very well; I'm going to go to bed earlier than usual.”
“Stop lying to me; I know you too, you know?” replied Regulus, tightening his grip on his secret girlfriend's hand. "What happened? Why did you leave the Great Hall so early, and why am I finding you crying?"
(Y/N), increasingly ashamed of having been caught in such a moment of weakness, pulled her hand away from Regulus, who tried to grab it back. However, the girl brought her hand to her chest, as if to protect it and keep it out of the boy's reach.
She just could not take it anymore. Two years spent crying silently and secretly because of this relationship that would never blossom, despite how important it was to her. But if Regulus really loved her, would he not have moved heaven and earth to be able to love her freely?
She no longer knew what to think; of course Regulus loved her, and of course he could not stand up to the monstrous authority that was her parents. Sirius, his older brother, had certainly been able to break free... But Regulus was still under his parents' control, perhaps without fully realizing it.
(Y/N) could not blame him for that; she knew what sacrifices he had made to be with her, and what risks he would face if their relationship became known.
“I... I'm sorry," she stammered, tears streaming freely down her cheeks. "The truth is... I can't stand having to act like strangers when we see each other anymore. I wish I could talk to you, laugh with you like I do with my friends, but I know that's impossible..."
Regulus looked at her with a devastated expression. For him, too, this situation had become a real torture. He did not know which path to take, but he knew one essential thing: the safety of the one he loved was what he valued most in his eyes.
“I don't know when, but I promise I'll find a solution to all this,” Regulus whispered, gently embracing (Y/N), who let him. “I love you more than anything in the world. I promise I'll fix things,” he insisted a second time, as he kissed the girl on the lips, and she kissed him back. "I know perfectly well that you're not dirty, like those pureblood idiots say; just because your mother isn't a witch doesn't mean you don't deserve to be loved."
Tears had also begun to glisten in the dark-haired boy's eyes, which was almost a miracle in itself. Regulus hardly ever cried, and (Y/N) was even convinced that she had never seen him shed a single tear, for any reason whatsoever. Proving to her, without her ever needing this unnecessary confirmation, that the young man cared more about her than anyone else.
“I'm sorry, I know how hard this is for you too, and all I can do is complain,” she said, crying even harder, while her boyfriend did his best to wipe away her tears.
"Don't worry. How about we go up to the astronomy tower for a little while, just the two of us, before the others come out of the Great Hall?“ Regulus suggested with a slight smile, to which (Y/N) responded with one of her own smiles.
”Of course I'll come with you."
The two left, hand in hand, to enjoy a few moments of respite and savor their love in silence once again.
She did not know how long she would be able to hold on...
But she simply hoped that, in the end, everything would work out for the best.
The next day was like any other for (Y/N), at least up to a point. As she was walking back to her dorm alone after dinner, needing some time to think on her own, she suddenly turned around when she heard a cry, that of an owl, coming in her direction, which she did not recognize.
The bird landed on her outstretched arm, and (Y/N) immediately noticed the letter in its beak. After taking a few seeds out of her pocket, which she always kept for just such an occasion, (Y/N) gave them to the animal, and the owl flew away. She wasted no time in opening the letter.
The handwriting was familiar, and for good reason; it was simply that of Regulus, which made her smile. It was not uncommon for the young man to send her letters like this, whether to simply tell her that he loved her or to set a date and time for a secret meeting.
And, in fact, this letter was about a secret meeting, hidden from view, near the Shrieking Shack, around midnight. Knowing that she was Head Prefect, she could easily walk outside her dormitory whenever she wanted without attracting attention. Getting to this meeting was therefore going to be extremely easy. Even though it was not the day she was supposed to be patrolling the corridors, looking for any students who might be breaking curfew.
When she went to bed that night, that evening, in the company of her dorm mates, her heart was pounding, and impatience was eating away at her. Finally, her friends fell asleep one after the other, and ((Y/N) was able to slip out of bed quietly, already dressed, and put on a coat over her clothes.
She slipped her wand into one of her pockets and set off silently toward the Shrieking Shack.
The walk was relatively long for her liking, given how impatient she was to see her boyfriend. A big, silly smile spread across her lips as she approached the Shrieking Shack; when she looked at her pocket watch, she saw that it was not quite midnight yet, which surely explained why Regulus was not there yet. The young man was punctual, unlike (Y/N), who was more accustomed to arriving early.
She sat down on a fallen tree trunk covered with moss and waited patiently for midnight, watching the moon high in the sky, accompanied by its eternal stars. She searched for a long time for the constellation Leo, which included the star Regulus, but to no avail; the clouds made her efforts to admire the star that had given her boyfriend his name futile.
Finally, after several minutes, she heard footsteps and turned quickly in that direction, ready to see Regulus and run to him to take him in her arms. However, she felt her stomach knot and the color drain from her face when she realized that three people were standing there beside her. How had she failed to see or hear them arrive before this moment...? Had they used a camouflage spell to hide themselves?
Her hand immediately plunged into the pocket containing her wand, but it flew away almost immediately a second later; she had just been the victim of a disarming spell, aided by the element of surprise.
“So it's you, the half-blood who defiles my son and has made me come all this way?” said one of the three people, in a voice and tone that made (Y/N) tremble like a leaf.
The one who had just spoken was tall, with a thin face, black hair, and elegantly dressed, which contrasted sharply with the decrepit Shrieking Shack standing nearby. She was accompanied by another woman, much younger, with tousled black hair, who was smiling broadly. A silent man simply stared at (Y/N) with disgust.
“You are... Regulus's mother...?” she whispered, with as much confidence as she could muster in a situation like this.
In response, she was hit with the crucio curse, causing her to collapse to the ground screaming. It was the younger woman who had inflicted this immense pain on her, still wearing the same terrifying smile; Walburga Black approached (Y/N) with a supple and noble gait, a disdainful look on her face.
"How dare you utter his name like that, you vulgar half-blood? Fortunately, the charming Milencia reported the facts to me so quickly and accurately, allowing me to learn of the horror that was unfolding right before my eyes, without me being able to see it. My son has always been good at hiding what he didn't want anyone to know."
(Y/N), still under the curse of torture, let out cries of agony and tears streamed down her face, but she was unable to make a sound. Someone had cast a spell of silence so that no one could hear her scream in pain. She began to fear more and more what would happen to her; she could not ask anyone for help, and was unable to be heard. No one knew she had left her dormitory, either.
She was doomed, she could feel it, as she writhed in pain on the floor, and Bellatrix, whom she now recognized, continued to overwhelm her with the crucio curse.
“I have only one simple request, in my greatest mercy,” Walburga continued in a tone detached from reality. “Never approach my son again, and your life will be spared. Eventually."
(Y/N) almost immediately answered yes, because of the unbearable agony she was experiencing. But then she thought of Regulus, of his rare smile that was only for her, of the love he felt for her, of the promise he had made to change everything so that they could finally be happy together.
Unable to be heard because of the silencing spell, and despite the immense pain, (Y/N) shook her head frantically, giving her final answer.
She would rather die than let her relationship with Regulus fall into oblivion.
“I see. You won't come complaining that I didn't give you a choice, you little fool.”
“Can I kill her, Auntie?” exclaimed Bellatrix, her voice brimming with impatience.
(Y/N) closed her eyes, covered in blood and wounds, as the torture spell suddenly stopped; she knew, however, that this was only a brief respite, and that what was to follow would be a thousand times worse.
But she had no regrets. She simply hoped that if Regulus ever learned the truth, he would not blame himself unnecessarily. He was not responsible for the madness of his mother or his cousin. She loved him and would continue to love him, no matter what happened.
It did not matter if death now separated them.
------------------------------------------
Regulus had been plagued by a growing sense of unease since he woke up that morning. He could not say how or why, but he felt a lump forming in his throat as he ate breakfast as usual with his Slytherin classmates. Milencia, too, was once again clinging to him, which he found even more unbearable than usual.
He silently pulled his arm out of the girl's grip, and she pouted in annoyance.
As she was about to say something, the Great Hall door swung open, and a frantic Hagrid, his eyes bulging, burst in, heading for the teachers' table, breathing heavily. No doubt he had been running for several long minutes, Regulus concluded distractedly as he scanned the entire room, unable to find the person he had been desperately searching for since he arrived for lunch.
Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Milencia smiling smugly as she watched Hagrid speak quietly to Dumbledore, whose face grew increasingly stiff. Regulus frowned, unable to understand his Slytherin classmate's reaction. Why did she suddenly seem so... happy? ?
The Headmaster of Hogwarts stood up abruptly, walked around the teachers' table, and left the Great Hall accompanied by Hagrid, McGonagall, and Flitwick, attracting the attention of most of the students, Regulus foremost among them. The awful feeling he had had since waking up grew stronger, while the teachers remaining in the room told the students to stay at their seats until further notice, serious expressions on their faces.
Whispers began to rise from all sides, everyone wondering what had happened. Regulus redoubled his efforts to find his girlfriend, but her usual seat was desperately empty. He felt panic beginning to consume him, which only grew worse during the hour that followed, still without any explanation.
After an agonizing wait, the Great Hall doors finally reopened, and Dumbledore and the professors who had accompanied him returned to their table, their faces grave.
The headmaster of Hogwarts asked for silence, which he obtained almost immediately, the students hanging on his every word.
“My dear students...” he began, looking somber, "I must inform you of a tragedy that took place last night not far from our school. One of your own has been found dead not far from here, and an investigation has been launched to try to find and identify the culprit. Classes are canceled for today; please follow your respective house director back to your dormitories. You will remain there until further notice."
Exclamations of terror and surprise erupted from all sides, faces visibly paled, and throats tightened. But the one who was most affected was undoubtedly Regulus. Was it really a coincidence that on the day a student was killed, his girlfriend did not show up for breakfast, when she never missed it...?
He felt his stomach churn and bile rise up his esophagus. Sweat began to pour freely down his face, frozen with anxiety and fear; he had to try several times to avoid fainting from the shock.
Each house director invited his students to leave the room one after the other, and finally it was the turn of the Slytherins, led by Professor Slughorn. Regulus, as if hypnotized, got up at the same time as his classmates and headed, dazed, in the direction of his dormitory. But he needed to know.
So he stopped suddenly, before passing through the door of the Slytherin Common Room, turning to his Potions professor with an imploring look.
“Sir... Do you know the identity of the victim...? I beg you, I need to know....”
Slughorn watched him for a long moment, as they stood there alone. Then the professor sighed deeply and finally decided to answer.
“I suppose you'll find out soon enough who was... murdered last night,” he began, looking devastated, clearly shaken by recent events. "It was this year's young Head Girl, a Hufflepuff who was very talented in everything she did and extremely well-liked by everyone. The reason behind such an end remains a complete mystery for now; we haven't found anything about her that could help us understand what happened..."
Regulus, however, was only half listening to his teacher's words. The victim was the Head Girl; the only person who held that position this year was none other than...
(Y/N).
He felt his legs give way, landing on the floor with his head in his hands. What he had feared so much since he agreed to secretly date (Y/N) had finally come true. The one he loved was dead, and he had no doubt that it was a punishment.
She had died because of him.
He was only half-conscious of his professor helping him up as best he could and sitting him down on one of the sofas scattered around the Slytherin Common Room. He felt tears streaming down his cheeks and his heart being pierced repeatedly.
He could see Milencia smiling triumphantly at breakfast when Hagrid had come in to tell Dumbledore about the tragedy. That... Milencia scum had surely understood what was going on between Regulus and (Y/N), and had therefore decided to warn someone who was sufficiently fond of pure-blood relationships, someone who had then decided to murder the one who was “sullying” the worthy heir of the noble House of Black. How had this person managed to lure (Y/N) away from Hogwarts...?
All he knew now...
Was that he would have to continue living with the blood of the one he loved on his hands, for the rest of his life.
A year had passed since the tragedy that had changed his life forever. A year, as long as it was fleeting, that he had had to spend alone, overwhelmed by guilt and regret.
His mother had quickly confessed to the murder, committed by Bellatrix, when her son confronted her. Walburga had even admitted that she “felt much better knowing that this impure girl was no longer able to corrupt her beloved son.”
Regulus said nothing. He pretended to endure the situation in silence, closed his heart and mind completely, and pretended to accept his engagement to Milencia without complaint, much to her delight, as she was the one who had betrayed their secret relationship to his parents. She had simply overheard the conversation that (Y/N) and Regulus had had the night before the murder, in which they promised to love each other forever and to find a way to finally live together openly.
But everything had fallen apart, as suddenly as it had been unexpected.
His mother had simply imitated his handwriting in order to successfully lure (Y/N) out of school and kill her, before taking the letter from her girlfriend's body to cover her tracks. Regulus had had no way of proving who was behind this abominable murder.
The young Black had never forgotten this lively young woman with her captivating smile and unmatched kindness, who had been part of his life for two years, two tiny little years. Yet they had left an indelible mark on his entire existence.
And now he was about to join her, dragged as he was into the depths of a lake infested with Inferi. He felt the air in his lungs diminishing at an alarming rate, but he was not panicking.
Quite the contrary. He let his eyes close gently as the cadaverous arms carried him to the bottom, to certain death; a smile more genuine than he had ever had in the past year slowly appeared on his lips, as his last hour approached.
He was not afraid. For he could hear a familiar voice humming a melody he did not recognize as his consciousness slipped away. He soon found himself embracing once again the one he had missed so much, vowing once more never to leave her alone again. Vowing to love her as she deserved, as he had always wanted to.
🌸 Characters featured in this chapter: Fukuchi, Teruko, Tachihara, Tecchou, and Jouno.
🌸Spoilers: It is essential to know the identity of each character in order to read this chapter.
And here, finally, is another request from someone on AO3, at last...! I'm so sorry for the delay, I tried my best, I promise!
You'll notice the delay in the release of this chapter even more when you see its subject: which is simply the transition to the new year!
I hope you enjoy it, I wish you a great read!
Fukuchi
• The kind of person who wants to spend New Year's Eve quietly, without a crowd around him.
• But, of course, what would New Year's Eve be without you by his side? You are the one and only person who can meet the difficult criteria to celebrate the holidays with him!
• Everything is done in peace and quiet. A small meal prepared by the two of you during the day, nothing extraordinary in itself but wonderfully convivial; then, the countdown to midnight, at the end of which you hug each other, whispering your best wishes for the new year.
~
Teruko
• She is completely opposed to her boss, and that's putting it mildly.
• Teruko would much rather go out and participate in festivals on this date, so she can be surrounded by as many people as possible and celebrate the New Year properly.
• So she drags you along with her through the streets of Yokohama, dressed in padded kimonos because of the freezing cold, with the aim of buying lots of things, especially food. And especially sweet things.
• Because what would an outing with Teruko be without a little stop to grab a bite to eat?
• And, to end the evening on an even more magnificent note, the fireworks display you watch that night is one of the most majestic you have ever seen. Especially with the person you love most by your side.
~
Tachihara
• It takes a lot of persuasion to get him to finally agree to go out, complaining that it's too cold for that.
• But once he gets going, he cannot help but marvel at the various food and game stands that come within his reach, and does not hesitate for a second to contribute to the cost of the various foods and numerous entertainments, following the example of the people gathered around you that evening.
• A big fan of alcoholic beverages, it would be a miracle if he did not end the evening slightly tipsy! Even if he does not drink as much as a certain Chuuya, of course. However, you will have to be prepared to make a few sacrifices...
• Because Tachihara often (a little too often for your liking, in fact) forgets his wallet at home.
~
Tecchou
• The type who silently follows you wherever you go, including the New Year's festival.
• You do not really know at the time whether he is enjoying himself or not, as he does not seem to change his expression when he is doing or eating something.
• You finally return home after an evening spent wandering the streets of Yokohama, and you finally ask the fateful question. You are afraid of the answer, though.
• “Did you at least have fun...?”
• He looks at you for a long time before answering with a neutral expression, as usual. As if it were obvious.
• “Yes. Because you were with me.”
• And just hearing that, you know you could die in peace if your time were about to come.
~
Jouno
• Holds your hand throughout your outing, not to compensate for his blindness, but to avoid you getting lost in the dense crowd.
• When you stop at knock down cans, you are ready to play on your own, but your boyfriend proves once again that you have underestimated him; without even being able to see anything, he manages to hit all the targets, perhaps with a little help from his powers, but you do not mention it.
• The result: you come home from the festivities with an armful of stuffed animals and other similar items, without even knowing what you are going to do with them.
• Or where you are going to store them, for that matter.
Remus Lupin x Professor!Reader - A well kept secret
Summary : (Y/N), an apprentice professor at Hogwarts, also known for her secret attachment to one of her new colleagues, a certain Remus Lupin. But, as is often the case, shyness gets in the way... However, tongues loosen easily when the time comes, do they not?
Words : 4k.
Fluff, light angst.
A/N : Another OS on Remus, yes! If you do not stop me very quickly, this is likely to happen regularly, given that he is my favorite character... I hope you enjoy reading it!
Pictures used do not belong to me. Also, English is not my first language.
She had to admit that she already missed the lively conversation they had had over dinner.
As a young teacher in training, (Y/N) appreciated above all else the opportunity to interact with those around her, especially her colleagues. She particularly admired a new addition to their faculty, a certain Remus Lupin; the man, in addition to being rather attractive, she had to admit despite her almost pathological shyness when it came to anything other than friendship, was also kind, courageous, and extremely thoughtful. He was also capable of displaying a slightly sardonic sense of humor and was adored by both students and staff alike. Not to mention Snape, of course.
Since the beginning of the year, Remus Lupin had taken over as Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, a position that had once again become vacant following Gilderoy's fiasco at Hogwarts. His replacement, Professor Lupin, was nothing like his predecessor; at least he knew a little something about the subject he was teaching, and did not spend a significant portion of his time bragging here and there. (Y/N), just remembering the endless conversations she had had with Gilderoy, could not help but feel a headache splitting her brain.
She liked the new teacher all the more because of this; at every meal for some time now, she had been sitting next to her new colleague, chatting about this and that, including bits and pieces of their respective pasts, their plans for the future, and their upcoming classes. Remus Lupin had taken a long time to really open up to (Y/N), despite his apparent accessibility; the man was actually rather reserved, which (Y/N) identified as a partial consequence of his lycanthropy.
At first, she could not deny that she had been slightly frightened when Dumbledore announced the arrival of a new werewolf professor; but as she got to know him, she could not help but become friends with him. All the prejudices she had held about werewolves until then had been shattered with disconcerting ease.
As she walked through the long corridors of Hogwarts, plunged into darkness and silence due to the late hour, (Y/N) let out a long, silent sigh. Since the beginning of the year, she and her colleagues had been taking turns on a regular basis, so that a teacher would always be awake in case Sirius Black, who had recently escaped from Azkaban, was in the area again. He had already managed, by some stratagem, to infiltrate the castle once and attack the Fat Lady, so security had been considerably tightened as a result.
A bell in the distance rang two o'clock in the morning. Another half hour, and she could finally go to bed; sure, she did not start until nine the next morning, but she missed her bed terribly. Professor Flitwick, her current mentor and the one she would eventually replace in the future, had expressly advised her to get a good night's rest because of the upcoming exams, which would last forever.
She could not wait for her replacement to take over supervision of the school where (Y/N) had left off. Unfortunately, she could not remember the identity of the person who was supposed to succeed her that night.
She was approaching an intersection in the middle of the corridor leading to the bell tower courtyard when she heard muffled voices, clearly aware that they had no business being there at such an hour, especially with a highly dangerous criminal lurking nearby. Why did this situation have to happen just as her patrol was coming to an end...?
(Y/N) glanced discreetly into the courtyard, hidden behind a wall. Sure enough, two students were sitting on the fountain, smoking something that looked very much like cigarettes. How they had managed to get hold of them remained a mystery.
She had no choice. Being outside their dormitory at this hour and in such a tense situation as that of a prisoner on the run, and on top of that to go and smoke, meant numerous house points deducted and a few detentions.
“Which house are you from?” she asked bluntly, while the two students, both boys, jumped at the sound of her voice.
A panicked expression crept across the faces of the two students, while (Y/N) waited in front of them, arms crossed, having moved away from the wall that had previously concealed her.
But instead of answering her question, the two young wizards exchanged glances, then simply took out their wands and cast several spells at the woman who was still only an assistant, but who was nonetheless a teacher.
A large screen of smoke poured into the courtyard of the bell tower, immediately stinging (Y/N)'s eyes, causing her to cough repeatedly and cry uncontrollably. Before she had time to take her own wand out of her pocket, another spell was cast, creating a highly slippery puddle of ice under her feet, causing her to collapse to the ground with an ominous crack that made her grimace even more.
But she was not done yet; she was still a dueling expert, like her mentor, even when caught off guard. A little smoke and ice were not going to stop her from catching two students who had thought it wise to leave their dorms in such conditions.
“Petrificus totalus!” she exclaimed, coughing even harder, managing to hit her target despite the less than ideal situation.
The students collapsed to the ground, completely immobile. With all they had already done before (Y/N) called them out, they were sure to face serious consequences, perhaps even expulsion, for attacking a teacher.
She then tried to get back on her feet, after clearing the smoke and making the ice disappear, but without success. Despite the absence of a slippery floor, she was unable to get up, and for good reason; in her fall, she had unfortunately broken her ankle, the pain of which she had ignored until now, too busy stopping the two students.
She knew only a few healing spells, such as the one that closed wounds and the one that conjured bandages, but not the one that mended broken bones. How was she going to get to the infirmary with her leg in this condition...?
“Are you all right?” asked a voice suddenly behind her, making her jump and turn around quickly, her wand pointed at the intruder.
However, she recognized him immediately; Professor Lupin's worried face was now in front of her, which greatly reassured her. He crouched down next to her, examining her ankle carefully.
“It's broken,” replied (Y/N) as if it were obvious, while a look of horror flashed across her colleague's face.
“I suppose you can't get up?” he asked grimly, before casting an angry glance at the two students you had immobilized. “I'll carry you to the infirmary, but first I'm going to deduct two hundred points from Slytherin for breaking a number of rules, some of them extremely important. Lean on me, please.” " he added more gently, addressing you, lifting you up so that he could put one arm behind your back and the other under your knees, and finally simply lifting you up.
Honestly, you had never imagined that Professor Lupin could carry someone like that, but it seemed rather obvious now. He was a werewolf, after all; certain characteristics of his second nature inevitably rubbed off on his human form.
Professor Lupin motioned for you to cancel the Petrificus Totalus spell you had previously cast on the two Slytherin students; who slowly got to their feet, fully aware that their punishment would not end with a simple deduction of points now, and that escape was no longer an option, knowing that their Defense Against the Dark Arts professor had recognized them, despite the absence of any clues as to their House. Still furious, which contrasted with Remus Lupin's usual calm expression, he ordered the students to follow him as he headed toward the infirmary.
Not far from the bell tower courtyard, however, Professor Lupin stopped briefly at Filch's office to leave the two students in the “good” hands of the caretaker until he could inform Dumbledore of what had happened that night.
The rest of the way to the infirmary was spent in silence; (Y/N) did not dare say anything, given the furious expression on her colleague's face. The only word that came out of her mouth was “Ferula”, which almost immediately conjured up bandages that wrapped around her broken ankle.
The rest went as planned; Madam Pomfrey made (Y/N) swallow a horrible potion that repaired her broken bones, not without expressing her opinion on late-night patients. But (Y/N) had not really meant to find herself in such a situation at such an hour, had she...?
Leaving the infirmary with a sigh of relief at the thought of finally being able to go to bed after everything she had been through that night, (Y/N) nevertheless jumped when she realized that someone was standing near the door of the room she had just left.
Remus Lupin was there, leaning against a wall, arms crossed and eyebrows furrowed. However, his expression softened when he saw that (Y/N) was back on her feet, looking visibly better than before.
“I admire Madam Pomfrey and her ability to heal her patients as easily as she breathes,” commented the werewolf, smiling at you. “And I also admire the fact that you managed to reach those two students in the middle of a cloud of smoke, when you couldn't see anything and you were injured. Professor Flitwick's constant compliments about you are certainly well deserved."
This revelation took her by surprise; did her mentor really talk about her that way...? She could not help but feel both intimidated and embarrassed; she never knew how to take compliments, especially such high praise.
"Um... Thank you...? she managed to mumble, hoping not to offend Professor Lupin.
But Lupin, as if he understood what was going on in his colleague's mind, simply smiled at her before continuing.
“Shall I walk you back to your room? Your patrol ended over half an hour ago.”
It was at that moment that she remembered something in particular that had escaped her until then.
“You're the one who's supposed to take over, aren't you, Professor Lupin? Why were you so early, anyway? I'm just curious, I'm not criticizing you or anything...! On the contrary!“ exclaimed (Y/N) hastily.
But Professor Lupin did not seem offended at all.
”You can call me Remus, again. To answer your question, I just couldn't sleep, so I figured I could save you an extra half hour of patrol... I just didn't expect to run into you with a broken ankle and two students running away. Before you stopped them with your spell, of course."
“Thank you so much for your help,” said (Y/N) with a bright smile, sincerely grateful. “Without you, I would probably have been forced to crawl to the infirmary... Or try to levitate myself there with a spell, but I was happy to do without...”
In response, Professor Lupin assured you that he was happy to have been able to help you in return, knowing that in the past months he had been able to count on your presence to reacquaint him with Hogwarts, to give him useful advice for his classes, or even just to be there when he needed it. He had never known anyone as friendly and caring as you, he could say that loud and clear; the proof was that even Snape, who limited his interactions with others as much as possible, had been caught several times smiling slightly when talking to you.
Finally arriving at their destination, much to the regret of (Y/N), who would have liked to chat a little more with his colleague, alone; the young teacher turned to him, a slightly worried look on her face.
“Will you be okay with your patrol? You won't be too tired tomorrow...?”
Remus Lupin shook his head.
“I'm used to it; it's not the first time I've gone without sleep, and it probably won't be the last. But don't worry, (Y/N); I'll still be able to testify before Dumbledore about what happened to you last night.”
It was (Y/N)'s turn to shake her head, a smile on her lips. Then, unable to control her movements, she stood on tiptoe and kissed the werewolf on the right cheek, causing him to widen his eyes.
(Y/N) also realized what she had just done and turned as red as a quaffle in a fraction of a second. Had she really just kissed her colleague, to whom she was not indifferent, to wish him good night and say thank you...?
If she did not die of shame in the next few seconds, she would never understand anything about life again.
But, against all odds, as she was about to turn on her heel and lock herself in her apartment to cry about her embarrassment, she felt something soft press against her own cheek, which made her turn her attention back to her colleague.
Despite his slightly red cheeks, the werewolf was smiling broadly. Had he really just kissed her back...?
She stood perfectly still for a long moment, unable to even blink, her eyes fixed on Remus Lupin's. Then, unable to say anything else, (Y/N) almost shouted “Good night!” in one breath before returning to her quarters and closing the door behind her.
She could hear her colleague laughing through the door, as well as wishing her a good night before walking away with light steps.
Leaving her there, her face completely scarlet, which she tried to cool with her hands, without much success.
If she concentrated hard enough, she could still feel the softness of Remus's lips on her cheek. And that only added fuel to the fire that had taken over her face; but at the same time, she could not help but smile foolishly, leaning against her door.
She did not yet know what this obvious closeness would lead to, but...
Only a few minutes after falling asleep, (Y/N) was awakened by frantic knocking on her door, causing her to jump out of bed. The person standing outside her apartment was none other than Professor McGonagall, still wearing her dressing gown, just like her young colleague.
“Sirius Black has broken into the castle again,” the older witch informed her in a tense voice. All the professors are being called upon to secure the surroundings; I'm sorry to impose on you when you've just finished your patrol, but this is an exceptional situation, as you will understand."
(Y/N) simply nodded quickly, before running to put a jacket over her dressing gown, grabbing her wand, and leaving her room, ready to accomplish her mission.
Fortunately, or unfortunately, she was not really sure, there was no sign of Sirius Black, except for knife marks on the curtains of a third-year student's bed, Ronald Weasley. However, the boy had not been injured, much to (Y/N)'s relief. Had Sirius Black simply mistaken the bed, attacking a student who was not Harry Potter...?
Security at Hogwarts was stepped up a notch, while the Dementors stationed at the entrances swallowed their bitterness. They, the undisputed and feared guards of the worst prison in the wizarding world, had failed three times to stop one of their most closely watched prisoners; more than ever, these abominable creatures were furious.
(Y/N) was exhausted after spending the entire day reinforcing existing protections and enchantments, teaching classes that took place as best they could, and barely sleeping last night. Once her classes were over, she had collapsed onto one of the couches in the staff room, letting out a long, silent sigh. She would have liked to fall asleep right away, but she did not want to miss dinner, knowing that she had already missed lunch because of her various responsibilities.
“Why so many sighs?” a voice suddenly asked, eliciting a cry of surprise from (Y/N), who turned around with a start to face the newcomer.
“Professor Lupin...! You gave me such a fright!”
With a triumphant smile, Remus Lupin reminded his colleague to call him by his first name, as he had already told her many times. To no avail, however; as the man was a few years older than her, she could not help but show him the respect due to her elders, as she already did with all her colleagues, knowing that she was the youngest.
She watched the werewolf make tea before coming to sit next to her, two steaming cups in his hands, one of which ended up in (Y/N)'s hands, who accepted it gratefully.
“You look even more exhausted than I do, if that's possible,” Professor Lupin finally said after taking a sip of his hot tea. “You didn't even get a chance to rest once you got back to your room last night. I'm sorry about that.”
(Y/N) hummed in response, waving her hand as if to signal to her colleague not to worry about her like that. She could not help her cheeks turning scarlet as she thought back to the events that had taken place when her colleague had walked her back to her room. Namely, the kiss she had exchanged with him. On the cheek. Unfortunately.
Damn.
“No offense, Remus, but I think you're even worse off than I am,” she managed to articulate, deliberately emphasizing his first name and hiding her cheeks as best she could. “You look like you're about to faint; is something bothering you...?”
Remus Lupin remained lost in thought for a long moment, as if trying to determine what he could and could not say. Then it was his turn to sigh.
"Yes... indeed. Can you... keep a secret? Although I must admit that all the teachers already know... It's more of a secret to keep from the students, to be honest."
(Y/N) nodded, surprised by the sudden seriousness and spark of weakness in the eyes of this man who was so courageous and brilliant in everything he did. Except for potion-making, perhaps.
"Sirius Black... He was one of my closest friends when I was a student at Hogwarts, along with James Potter and Peter Pettigrew, whom you surely know by reputation. Some, including Professor Snape, believe that I am responsible for Black's two intrusions into the school," Remus Lupin muttered nervously, running his finger around the rim of his cup. "But I had nothing to do with it; I haven't seen that man since he was taken to Azkaban twelve years ago."
The young woman, highly surprised by this revelation, remained silent for a moment before reaching for her colleague's hand and gently enveloping it with her own.
“I believe you. How could you have had time to bring Black into the castle in the short time between our parting, when you walked me back to my room, and the moment Professor McGonagall came to wake me up?” The whole operation could obviously have been planned in advance, but I think at least one person would have noticed the plot, knowing that nothing stays secret for long at Hogwarts. And then..."
She searched for words, her cheeks gradually regaining their beautiful reddish color, despite herself.
“I... I trust you, Remus.”
She met the werewolf's gaze, who was staring at her with wide eyes, as if he could not believe that he could be exonerated so easily.
A smile gradually spread across his lips as he intertwined his fingers with those of his colleague, whose already battered heart began to beat even faster, if that were possible.
“Thank you,” was all Remus Lupin could say, his voice thick with emotion.
Their eyes could not leave each other, despite their best efforts; (Y/N) finally took the time to decipher in detail all the nuances of color in her colleague's eyes. She had never allowed herself to do so so obviously before, but she was mesmerized. Strengthening her grip on Remus's hand, she leaned forward slowly, gently approaching the man's face, who did the same on his side.
Their lips were only a few millimeters apart, so much so that she could perfectly feel the werewolf's warm breath on hers. She could feel her heart pounding and her cheeks burning; as if moved by instinct, her eyes began to close slowly.
“Are you sure about this...?” Remus asked suddenly, his eyes half-closed too, a spark of hope in his green pupils despite everything.
As her only response, (Y/N) leaned in a little closer, shutting her eyes completely and savoring with her whole being the warmth and softness of her colleague's lips against hers. She slowly wrapped her arms around the man's neck, as if to give him the opportunity to pull away if he wanted to.
But no, quite the contrary. It was Remus's turn to wrap his arms around (Y/N)'s waist, gently pulling her onto his lap, all the while continuing to kiss her passionately. He was finally able to do what he had been hoping to do for several months now: kiss the woman he had fallen madly in love with. In secret.
However, someone clearing their throat interrupted them, forcing them to separate, breathless, and turn their panicked gazes toward the newcomer.
Professor McGonagall was standing in the doorway, a thin smile on her lips despite her feigned disapproving look.
“...I trust you've both finished your classes for today, to have gotten this far?” she said in an amused tone, watching her former students (and now professors) squirm with embarrassment at having been caught red-handed. "Thank you, by the way; you've just earned me twenty Galleons from Albus."
Then, turning on her heel, without doing what she had originally come to the staff room for, she added:
“Just be careful to behave yourselves in front of the students, will you?”
Then, with these fine words, McGonagall left, closing the door behind her, her footsteps fading into the distance.
(Y/N) and Remus looked straight into each other's eyes for several long seconds before bursting out laughing, still tightly embraced.
“Nothing stays a secret for long at Hogwarts, indeed,” said the young woman, laughing, imitated by her colleague.
“This is definitely one of my secrets that got out the fastest!” exclaimed Remus, red as a beetroot despite everything.
And with that, he leaned in again to capture (Y/N)'s lips for a second time.
A/N: A reader (@miharuki) kindly asked me to write a second part to the previous chapter, and here it is! Big hugs to you all, and I hope you enjoy reading it ❤️ this chapter can be read without the part 1.
Part 1
"Well, well... You two are definitely a perfect match. It's just like my son and my future daughter-in-law to do things backwards."
At your mother-in-law's words, you smiled slightly, while Ginny put the finishing touches to your makeup, grumbling that you had dared to move your facial muscles.
Molly Weasley was busy styling your hair, and you had been waiting patiently for several long minutes for the two women to finish their respective tasks.
You had already put on your dress, which was entirely white, covered in lace and rhinestones that sparkled brightly. You were not rich, far from it, so you had to make do with the budget you had.
But that was the least of your worries, quite honestly. You would have been happy to wear jeans and a sweatshirt for this special day, if that had been necessary. Fortunately, you and Fred had been saving for several years with this event in mind: your wedding, no less.
“Sorry, Molly,” you laughed, glancing apologetically at Ginny, who was still busy finishing your makeup. “We were more eager to have children than to get married, I can't deny it.”
Your mother-in-law was rather old-fashioned when it came to certain traditions. For her, married life unfolded in a very specific order: first marriage, then children. But, of course, you and Fred were not fans of traditions. So you did the opposite, and you had absolutely no regrets; now that you had your boys, your beloved twins, you could do the rest. And your two treasures, named Henry Frederick Weasley and Felix George Weasley, would also be able to attend one of the most important days of your life: your wedding to the man you had loved since Hogwarts.
Molly suddenly let out a cry of astonishment as her eyes fell on the small clock resting on one of the bedside tables in the room you were in.
“The ceremony is about to begin...! Fred must be ready already!”
Without giving in to panic (at least not completely), your mother-in-law busied herself even more, finishing styling your hair, while Ginny finished applying makeup to your face.
The two women stepped back slightly to get a better view of the picture you presented.
Ginny had a smile from ear to ear, while Molly dabbed at the corners of her eyes with her handkerchief.
“You look beautiful...!” exclaimed your mother-in-law, as her daughter handed you a simple bouquet, a mixture of your favorite flowers and Fred's.
You stood up slowly, so as not to crease your dress, before someone suddenly knocked on the door.
“Are you ready?” asked your father's muffled voice, trembling slightly with emotion.
After all, it was not every day that you walked your daughter down the aisle. You could only understand that, especially when you imagined yourself in his place. What will happen when your two boys will get married...?
Almost running, eager to be reunited with your beloved, from whom you had been separated for several hours already, you went to open the door, while your father nearly choked on his own saliva when he saw you.
“You look... breathtaking, my darling,” he said with tears in his eyes as he held out his arm to you, which you immediately took, thanking your mother-in-law and sister-in-law for their invaluable help.
You could not wait to find out what the rest of the day had in store for you.
And you were not going to be disappointed, far from it. But the unexpected was precisely what made life exciting, was it not?
The wedding was taking place in the garden of your and Fred's house. The familiar and welcoming surroundings had a calming effect on your heart, which had been beating wildly since you waited to enter the tent, where all your loved ones were gathered and where you would officially become Mrs. Weasley.
The music began to play as your father nervously tightened his grip on your arm and adjusted his tie at the same time. If you did not know him so well, you would have readily theorized that the man was even more anxious than you were about your own wedding.
The two sides of the tent opened in front of you as if by magic, while the notes of classical music faded into the crowd of guests, who all turned in your direction, applauding loudly. With both hands occupied, either by your father or your bouquet, you simply smiled at the various people, some of whom were watching you with tears in their eyes. Molly was the first, of course. Even though she was doing her best to hide it behind her own husband.
You finally reached the altar after a few more steps, and your father reluctantly let go of you, placing your hand in that of your future husband. He smiled broadly at you, clearly overjoyed to be there today. Even though something was bothering you, which you quickly identified, causing you to stifle a mocking laugh as you turned to the priest, who had been sent just for the occasion.
The ceremony began peacefully; then inevitably came the moment when the priest asked you if you truly wanted to marry Frederick Weasley and make him your husband.
The crowd held its breath as a smile appeared on your lips and you glanced amusedly at the man standing beside you.
“No,” you replied, taking everyone present by surprise, some of whom let out exclamations of surprise.
Fred, who was standing beside you, also gave you a bewildered look, as murmurs began to rise from the crowd of guests. Why had you come all this way if it was to refuse to marry the father of your children...?
The guests watched your next move intently, as if hypnotized. You walked over to the first groomsman, standing just behind Fred, who happened to be George, Fred's twin.
Then, once again surprising your assembled families, you hit George on the head, causing him to let out a groan of pain.
“You think you're funny?” you declared, unable to completely hide your amusement, your hands on your hips.
It was obvious that your future husband, even on his own wedding day, was not going to pass up the opportunity to show off his comedic talents. You felt a little silly for not having thought of this possibility before it happened right before your eyes; of course Fred and George were going to take advantage of their resemblance to pass themselves off as each other, even on a day as important as this!
The real Fred, dressed as a groomsman, was speechless for a moment before bursting out laughing, immediately followed by his twin, George, who was wearing the suit originally intended for your future husband.
“I knew you'd figure out the trick!” Fred exclaimed, spinning you around in his arms with a big, silly smile on his face. "Even though I was scared a few times, I admit; especially when you answered ‘no’ to the question ‘will you marry Frederick Weasley?’, or when you almost ended up marrying my own brother, as you didn't seem to have noticed that we had swapped roles."
Laughter erupted among the guests as Fred and George finally switched roles, returning to the ones they had originally come here for: George to attend his twin brother's wedding, and Fred to marry the woman he loved.
You could not help but exchange amused glances with your fiancé, which he happily returned. It was extraordinary that no one had been able to tell the two brothers apart, really...!
Your vows were finally exchanged in due form, and the time to exchange rings finally arrived; and for this very special task, you had expressly requested the help of two little monsters whom you were particularly fond of.
The sides of the tent opened again as Ginny, who had been waiting outside since the beginning of the ceremony, especially for this moment, slowly walked down the aisle to the altar, each of her hands holding one of her nephews. Your sons looked magnificent in their perfectly ironed suits, and for once their red hair was fairly well behaved.
Each little twin carried a box, which they enjoyed shaking to discover its contents. Luckily, it was not fragile, you thought, a soft smile spreading across your lips, touched by these two little angels (monsters) who were your children.
The twins reached you, Fred grabbing Felix in his arms, while you did the same with Henry, the older of the two.
“Can you open the box, sweetheart?” you asked your son, Henry, who did so almost immediately, struggling for a few moments before succeeding in his task.
Fred then reached for the newly discovered ring, which was resting on a small red cushion inside the box. The young man slipped the jewel onto your finger as you held back your tears; you could not believe that such a magical day could really exist.
Felix then opened the box that had been entrusted to him, and you slipped the second ring onto the finger of your now husband, as the priest officially declared you man and wife.
A cacophony of applause and cheers erupted all at once, while Fred placed a modest kiss on your lips, your two boys wriggling like worms caught in a bird's beak, eager to get down from your arms and go play together.
You finally managed to put them down one after the other, and the two children, just five years old, began running among the guests, who came to congratulate you one by one on your marriage.
Inevitably, it was Molly's turn, and just from the look on your mother-in-law's face, you knew Fred and George were doomed.
"Playing a prank like this on a day as important as a wedding...! Aren't you ashamed of yourselves?"
But the two culprits did not seem to regret their actions at all, far from it. Their expressions were proud, clearly satisfied with their little “exchange.” You, too, could not help but burst out laughing when you saw Molly pulling her twins' ears; that was also why you decided to marry Fred Weasley, after all.
What would he be without his legendary jokes and his lifelong partner in crime?
The unexpected was precisely what made life exciting, was it not?
Fred Weasley x Pregnant!Reader - Double trouble (1/2)
Part 2
Lying on one of the sofas scattered around the extremely well-heated living room, you let out a long, soul-wrenching sigh. You had long since lost count of the number of times you had sighed, without anyone wondering what was going on with you. For a very simple and understandable reason.
You were all alone at home, after all.
Fred had left that morning for the joke shop he had founded with his twin brother. It was now four o'clock in the afternoon, and you were desperate for your boyfriend to finally come home.
Why were you not at work yourself? Once again, the answer to that question was very simple.
How could you even hope to apparate to your workplace with the enormous belly you had been carrying around for several weeks now?
Since the fourth month of your pregnancy, you had been forced to take maternity leave because of all the side effects caused by your unborn child. Morning sickness, mood swings, various pains and aches... You had expected this, knowing that your sister-in-law, Fleur, had gone through the same thing with Victoire.
But for you, the effects of pregnancy had been tenfold. At this stage, you could not take a step without grimacing in pain and feeling like you were going to throw up. As a result, you were resigned to spending your days sitting, reading or watching television (which you had fought to be able to power, and which Fred still did not know how to use despite the years), or even waiting for a visit from your loved ones when your boyfriend was not busy elsewhere.
Even though Fred had practically begged you to stay by your side at all times, you quickly reminded him that his brother could never run the store on his own; and besides, if you were careful in your movements and actions, you were not likely to faint when you got up from your seat. What's more, your family and in-laws made sure you had everything you needed when Fred could not do it himself, much to his dismay.
But right now, you bitterly regretted pushing your flamboyantly red-haired boyfriend to go and spend the day with his twin. Molly had just left after keeping you company for most of the afternoon, leaving you alone with your pain and your thoughts.
And since you had been pregnant, mood swings had become a daily occurrence, and being alone was something that scared you incredibly, even though you did your best to hide it. Your loved ones may have said they were ready to help you at the slightest request, but you could not call on them forever. You were pregnant, not convalescing, after all...!
But convincing yourself of this was much more complicated than it would have been under normal circumstances, i.e., when you were not pregnant. Now, every little annoyance that would have previously made you sigh was enough to make you burst into tears for several minutes.
And things only got worse as your due date approached. Today was unfortunately no exception.
You were slumped on the sofa, unable to even sit up. It was impossible to get up, and therefore impossible to get to the bathroom, which you desperately needed because of the little monster who was enjoying pressing on the wrong spot and had been moving around nonstop for a good two hours.
No DNA test was needed to confirm that the father of this child was indeed Fred Weasley. The thought made you laugh, a laugh that mingled with your sobs as tears streamed freely down your cheeks. You were no longer even capable of fending for yourself. But you could not ask Fred to stop working until your child was born...
As your face was now covered with tears, you heard a sudden noise that almost made you jump. Wiping your eyes as quickly as you could, a smile automatically appeared on your face as Fred, who had just apparated into the middle of your living room, approached you with a cheerful expression.
However, that expression gradually faded when he met your gaze, and especially when he saw your eyes brimming with tears.
The young man immediately rushed to your side, sitting down with you on the sofa, gently stroking your back and pulling you close to him. His other hand wiped away your tears as best he could, while your crying intensified. “Damn hormones,” you thought, cupping your face in your hands.
“What's going on?” Fred asked quickly, a look of terror on his face.
He knew you had been having regular mood swings over the last few months, but they had never been so... expressive...? How long had you been crying like this, alone, with no one to comfort you?
He knew his mother had been by earlier, but he regretted not coming home from work sooner.
Although he had left well before his usual departure time, he could not shake the worry he felt at the thought of leaving you alone for too long.
So he had come home early, but not early enough for his liking.
“I... I can't get up,” you whispered shamefully, crying even harder. "I can't do anything on my own anymore, I'm so useless...!"
Fred looked at you as if you had grown a second head.
“...you don't do anything? How can you say that?” asked the redhead, taking your hand in his. "You're carrying our child. That's something priceless, and only you can do it, you know that."
“But I've gotten so big, how can you still love me?” you lamented, nevertheless accepting your boyfriend's embrace, who was careful not to crush your rounded belly.
“A few extra pounds won't change who you are. Nor will they change my feelings.”
This response, so innocent and so necessary, only made your sobs worse. In a good way, this time; you could not imagine that Fred, your Fred, the boy who had been so rowdy during his school years, had just uttered these words overflowing with wisdom.
Your tears turned to laughter, the two emotions alternating and merging, so that no one could tell whether you were crying or laughing. Perhaps both at the same time?
“Thank you,” you managed to whisper as you hugged Fred, while the redhead gently stroked your hair, a smile clearly forming on his lips.
“Come on. I'll help you up. Where do you want to go?” your boyfriend asked, moving back slightly so he could look you in the eyes.
“To the bathroom. I have to..."
But you could not finish your sentence, knowing that something unexpected had just happened. And for good reason; you felt liquid running down your legs, causing you to freeze suddenly. Had you really just peed yourself...?
The sharp pain that struck you a few seconds later, however, told a completely different story.
“Fred...?”
The young man, seeing the color drain from your face, replied with growing concern and apprehension.
“Yes...?”
“...Don't panic, but I think my water just broke.”
Going completely against your wishes, the redhead turned as pale as you were in record time and jumped to his feet.
“Is that true...? But it's only been eight months...!”
“You'll have to remind our baby of that when they're born,” you managed to joke despite yourself, as you curled up into a ball, wrapping your arms around your stomach in a futile attempt to ease the pain.
Fred finally seemed to return to reality as he ran to fetch the bag you had packed a few days earlier in anticipation of your upcoming hospital stay. You never imagined for a second that your baby would arrive so soon.
Your boyfriend returned to the living room, asking you repeatedly if you were feeling any better and if you were ready to apparate to St. Mungo's. You were not sure you could keep from vomiting during the apparition, but you had no other option.
Everything that happened next was a blur of images, sounds, and sensations. You were quickly taken to a delivery room, while Fred stood by your side, trying his best to push all his fears aside so he could be the pillar of strength you could lean on. As he had always done, despite your stubbornness in wanting to show your strength of character, even in the most difficult moments, such as your delivery.
During the hours that followed, Fred never let go of your hand, constantly encouraging you and whispering reassuring words, while the feeling of being torn in two overwhelmed you with all its delicacy.
But finally, relief appeared. A nose covered with freckles, a tiny head adorned with magnificent strands of flaming red hair. He was certainly a whole month early, but the doctors assured you that your son was doing wonderfully.
You could not hold back your tears when the little one was placed in your trembling arms. You looked at him with love, while Fred tried (unsuccessfully) to stifle his own tears; when he took his son in his arms, he burst into tears, unable to help himself.
“He's... perfect. I can't believe you could create a baby as perfect as this one.”
Not knowing what to say, perhaps because of your sobs or your big, silly smile, you simply stared at your two loves, still unable to realize how much your life had just changed, for the better and forever.
Just as you knew what you were going to say, however, something else prevented you from speaking a second time.
A sharp contraction had just caused you to let out yet another moan of pain, attracting the attention of Fred, but also of the nurses and midwife, who had left you some privacy. They quickly returned, worried looks on their faces, echoing that of your boyfriend, who was still holding your child, wriggling energetically in his arms, grabbing everything within reach with his tiny little fingers.
"What's..."
Once again, you did not have time to finish your sentence, as another contraction made you scream in pain.
A flash of realization crossed the midwife's face, and she put on a tense smile.
“Miss...? I'm going to have to ask you to push again.”
“What...?” was all you managed to stammer, as one of Fred's hands reached for yours, the one closest to him, while making sure not to let go of your child.
“It seems another member of the family wants to see the light of day,” joked the midwife, positioning your legs to make your labor easier.
It took a long time for the realization to sink in, slowed by the pain you were feeling. But when you understood the meaning of the midwife's words, you let out a long groan of pain.
“Fred Weasley...! I hate you!” you shouted as another contraction came, even more violent than the previous one.
The poor young man could do nothing but look guilty, unable to hide his excitement. He could not believe he was going to be the father of twins, just like he was with his brother...!
He would make sure to give his first name and George's as their middle names, even if he had to fight with you to do so. But he did not doubt for a second that you would agree.
All the trials that had brought the four of you together had been worth it.
Remus Lupin x Pregnant!Reader - By your side (3/3)
A/N : In this OS, the Potters were not forced to hide because of Voldemort. Enjoy! Orders are open for anyone who would like a little OS on Harry Potter, by the way (Hogwarts Mystery included).
And a thousand thanks for the 150 subscribers!!
Part 1 - Part 2
Finally deciding on your next steps, you got out of bed, walking unsteadily, still reeling from the conversation you had just had with Remus.
You knew that you now had no chance of changing your fiancé's mind about your baby. You had never seen the werewolf so terrified, and you had no doubt about his final decision.
This child had no place in his life. But it did have a place in yours.
As if in a trance, you took out the huge suitcase you had kept since leaving Hogwarts, which you had once used to store your school things. You began to fill it with all your belongings, which had been stored in various pieces of furniture in the bedroom.
Downstairs, you heard the distinctive sound of someone apparating, a sign that Remus had left for who knew where, seeking solitude, as he always did when something happened that he was unable to deal with.
Or maybe he had gone to see Sirius or Peter, but you did not care. Tears streaming down your cheeks, you slammed your suitcase shut, threw a coat over your dressing gown, your slippers grazing the floor as you spun around to apparate yourself, your destination firmly fixed in your mind.
As expected, you landed in front of a particular house, welcoming and warm, decorated entirely for the holidays with a particularly heavy hand, knowing James and his taste for the extravagant.
It made you smile slightly, lost in the midst of your tears. This was what a home filled with love looked like, far from the fear of a monster and its consequences that might never happen.
After hesitating for a long time, you finally managed to knock on the front door, where a little elf wearing a Christmas hat was attached to a wreath of flowers and looked at you mischievously, lifting his hat in greeting. You were starting to feel cold, dressed as you were in the middle of the streets of Godric Hollow, swept by an icy wind.
The door opened after a few seconds, while you were shivering from head to toe, your suitcase in your hands, which you had lightened with a spell. A head, adorned with tousled black hair and glasses perched on the tip of his nose, appeared in the doorway, his expression changing from curiosity to joy, then from joy to concern in the space of a moment.
“What are you doing here at this hour...?” James asked in a worried tone, opening the door wide and stepping aside so you could get inside and warm up as quickly as possible. “And dressed like that? Is that a suitcase you're holding...?”
Attracted by James's worried voice, Lily appeared in turn, coming out of the kitchen where the aroma of the previous dinner still lingered. With the door closed behind you, the warmth of the Potter house enveloped you, but it did not quite manage to warm you up completely. You felt that something deep inside you was now condemned to the cruel coldness of abandonment.
Unable to answer James' questions, you dropped your suitcase and rushed into Lily's arms, crying your heart out, while the redhead gently stroked your back, hoping to calm your sobs, without much success.
Your knees touched the floor as your legs gave way under your weight and Lily followed you down. You did not see the worried look she exchanged with James before he rushed into the kitchen and his wife did her best to lift you up and sit you on the sofa.
James returned a few moments later with a cup of hot chocolate, which he handed to you. Lily rekindled the fire with a wave of her wand, while continuing to hold you close.
The silence that followed was broken only by the crackling of the fireplace, your muffled sobs, and the wind blowing beyond the thick walls of your friends' house.
“What happened...?” Lily finally asked, drawing soothing circles on your back with her right hand, while James sat down on a chair nearby.
Unable to stop crying, you recounted the last few hours: from your morning sickness to the positive pregnancy test, to confessing your condition to your fiancé. And, of course, his reaction to the news, as well as his departure.
“I didn't know where to go,” you whispered, your face buried in your trembling hands. “I'm sorry for imposing on you...”
You felt your eyes widen as you took in your friend's words.
“What are you talking about?” exclaimed Lily, taking your hands in hers and fixing you with a fiery, angry gaze. “You're always welcome here, you know that! And none of what happened is your fault. Remus disappoints me greatly; I knew he was afraid of having children, but to let you down like that? Unbelievable!”
“Remus... Did he talk to you about his feelings on children...?”
James and Lily exchanged a slightly panicked glance before the redhead continued. There was no point in hiding the truth now.
“Um... Yes? It was a few months ago, when you both came to visit us. Remus was in Harry's room with James, and apparently he confided in James that he would love to have children with you more than anything, but that he couldn't because of his lycanthropy. He was afraid to tell you; he said he was afraid you would leave him because of his refusal to have children. I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner; Remus insisted on being the first to tell you. Which he obviously never did, by the way..."
“What difference does it make if our child is half werewolf...?” you finally whispered, sadder than ever. "I would love them no matter what, and I know Remus would too...! Why did he...?"
You could not finish your sentence as you started crying even harder, Lily hugging you once more, furious at your fiancé and his thoughtless actions. How could he have abandoned you like that, left you behind like an old sock? When he loved you more than anything in the world, and his dearest dream was to start a family with you...?
“I think you've had a long enough day,” James said, getting up from his seat. “I'll get the guest room ready; it'll be ok in a few minutes, and you can go to bed.”
The dark-haired man then disappeared upstairs, while you slowly finished your hot chocolate and your tears gradually dried up as Lily whispered comforting words to you.
You did not wait long to go to bed, more exhausted than ever by the events of the day. Your friends made sure to remind you that, if you needed anything, they were right there, and that you should not hesitate to come and find them. They finally left you alone, after making sure once again that you had everything you needed, and your thoughts exploded. Now that you could think more or less calmly.
Had Remus really abandoned you, left you behind because of this child? Or was he simply confused and needed time to accept this reality? Would he come back, or would he leave you for good?
The Remus you knew was the perfect partner, the kind anyone would dream of. But a side of him you had never seen before tonight had just called into question everything you had believed during all those years spent alongside the werewolf.
How could he give up on his happiness, on your happiness, because of an illness?
You did not recognize him anymore.
Out of energy, sleep finally found you after several hours, as you plunged into a nightmare that woke you up shortly thereafter. Preferring to get up to avoid another bad dream, you got dressed and quietly descended the stairs to the ground floor, immersed in silence. Neither Harry, James, nor Lily were awake yet. It was barely six in the morning, after all.
Deciding that this would do you good, you decided to go and get something to make breakfast in a tiny shop not far from the Potter house. Returning with your shopping, you set about preparing the meal in complete silence so as not to wake your friends.
But, of course, the smell of food soon woke James from his sleep. He emerged shortly after, followed by Lily and Harry a few moments later, before everyone sat down at the table and literally pounced on what you had prepared, except for you, who were overcome by a new wave of morning sickness.
Several days had passed since your “argument” with Remus. To tell the truth, you were not really sure you could call your last conversation that, knowing that you had not known how to respond and that Remus had left before you had a chance to explain how you felt.
You had not heard from your fiancé, but a letter from your mother-in-law had arrived the day after you left. She assured you that she would talk to her son and make him realize the monumental mistake he had made in leaving you like that, all because of a baby that was not even born yet.
Hope was frightening when she got angry. You almost felt sorry for Remus, knowing he would have to face his mother's wrath. You were also happy to know that this woman, whom you respected so much, was on your side; and that, according to her, Lyall agreed with her.
But since that letter, you had heard nothing more about your fiancé. You did not know if your mother-in-law had had a chance to talk to Remus, or even if he had returned home after leaving hastily on the evening of your little “argument.”
You had continued to go to work, despite your grief and the symptoms of pregnancy. Your boss, Ollivander, had been very happy for you, but also very understanding when he heard about your situation: you no longer carried anything too heavy, and he took great care to ensure you took regular breaks.
James and Lily, for their part, had willingly agreed to let you stay with them for as long as necessary, despite your unexpected arrival. And you had gladly accepted their offer; you did not yet know what would become of your relationship with Remus, and you were already afraid of having to look for a house on your own, when you and your fiancé had already been immersed in the search together.
What you had once done as a couple, you now risked having to do alone. And that terrified you, only reinforcing the despair that had crept into you since you left your in-laws' house, and which continued to grow as time passed and you received no news from your in-laws.
One day, while James was out for a walk with Harry and Lily and you were busy baking a cake to take your mind off things, someone knocked on the door, making you jump.
“Can you go see who it is?” asked Lily, her hands covered in cake batter. “I'll wash this up and be right there. Sorry.”
Distractedly placing a hand on your stomach, which was just beginning to round out if you looked in the right place, you headed for the door, thinking it was once again the Potters' neighbor, an old lady who loved to visit them. Especially Harry.
You opened the door, trying to smile for the first time since your argument with Remus, in order to welcome the guest as they should be welcomed. But you felt the blood drain from your face when you recognized the person standing in front of you.
Brown hair, green eyes, big height, and skin covered in scars. You stood frozen for a moment, waiting for your brain to process what was happening.
Remus was there, right in front of you, huge dark circles under his reddened eyes and pale skin, his cheeks covered in old tear marks. However, his pale face lit up slightly when he saw that you were there, as he had suspected; if you had left, you must have gone to one of your friends' houses. And, knowing how close you were to Lily, it was hardly surprising that you had chosen the redhead to take you in.
“(Y/N), I—”
But you did not give him time to finish his sentence. Slamming the door in your fiancé's face, breathless, you had to lean against a piece of furniture in the hallway to keep from fainting. Lily arrived at that moment, a look of concern on her face when she saw how stressed you were.
“...It's Remus, I suppose?” she asked, to which you simply nodded, unable to articulate anything.
What your friend did next left you speechless once again.
She reopened the door wide, glared at Remus, and then simply punched him hard in the stomach, causing you and your fiancé to widen your eyes.
“That's for my friend,” Lily declared, rubbing her fingers, ready to use force again if necessary. "Because she wouldn't be able to do it herself, since she's far too nice. Not that there's anything wrong with that, mind!" she added quickly, finally turning to you, afraid she had offended you with her words.
But you were not. On the contrary, you were happy to see someone stand up for you like that. And Remus, too, found nothing wrong with the redhead's actions.
“I probably deserve it...” murmured the young man, running a hand over the spot where Lily had just hit him. “Is it... Is it okay if I talk to you?”
He said this while looking at you, leaving you speechless once again.
Were you ready to have a conversation with him after what had happened? But if you did not do it now, when would you be able to? Would the opportunity ever arise again? Lily leaned toward you, whispering in your ear that you did not have to agree if you did not want to. But you had to do it; your relationship with Remus was one of your most precious treasures, and you had no desire to see it shattered. And if your fiancé cared as much about your relationship as you did, then you had to seize the opportunity.
“Okay,” you finally gave in, causing Remus to sigh with relief. "But I want to warn you; listening to you doesn't mean I forgive you."
The werewolf nodded vigorously as Lily finally invited him in. She pretended she wanted to join James and Harry to find out where they were, leaving the two of you alone in her house, which was fortunately heated.
You made your way to the armchair, where you sat down gently, suppressing a wave of nausea. Remus seemed to notice it too.
“Are you... Are you okay?” he asked in a dull voice, barely daring to utter the words.
“As well as a pregnant woman can be under these circumstances,” you replied dryly.
Remus grimaced, understanding full well that you were not ready to talk about anything other than his reaction to your pregnancy.
“I... I'm so sorry for everything I've done," he finally confessed, falling to his knees in front of you, still sitting on the sofa. "I know I should never have reacted that way; my mother explained to me that potions aren't always reliable, and that it wasn't your fault. I'm terrified that this baby will be like me; I've always dreamed of having children one day, especially since I met you... But I always promised myself I would never have any, precisely because of my illness."
He gently took your hands in his, his tearful eyes locked with yours.
"Sirius helped me open my eyes, though. Just because this child may have symptoms of lycanthropy doesn't mean they won't be loved; you, Sirius, and the others have always been there for me, no matter how much I claimed to be a monster. You continued to love me despite everything, even knowing what I really was. And you agreed to stay by my side, you continued to love me, you insisted on keeping our child despite what I said to you and the risks involved... Which just goes to show how horrible I am. You accepted me as I was, but I couldn't do the same for our unborn child."
Tears were now streaming freely down the werewolf's cheeks, as well as yours.
"I understand if you don't want to forgive me, if you can't give me a second chance. But I promise I'll do everything I can to make up for my mistakes, and I'll never react the way I did that night again. I promise you that. I'm so sorry... And I'm ashamed that I only really realized my mistakes when Sirius or my parents yelled at me."
The young man took another fragile breath, squeezing your fingers a little tighter in the hope of stopping his own trembling.
“I'm worried about money, too,” he finally admitted, in a barely audible voice. "You have a stable salary, of course, but I don't. I keep getting fired from every job I find because of my werewolf nature. What if we don't have enough money to raise this child? What if they are unhappy because of me...?"
You felt sadder than ever as you listened to your fiancé's words. You did not know how much he had already thought about having children, because you had never really talked about it; he wanted this baby as much as you did, but he was afraid he would not be up to the task.
“Remus... We'll have enough money to raise this child, I promise you. My salary will be more than enough for that; and besides, we're not alone. We have friends and family who can help us if we have no other choice. Just as we would do for them if the opportunity arose.”
As you said this, you began to gently caress the young man's cheek, wiping away the tears that still ran down his scarred skin. Remus looked at you with all the hope and love in the world, seemingly unable to comprehend that one of his dearest dreams was finally coming true.
“I don't know how I got lucky enough to cross paths with you,” Remus continued, placing his hand on yours, still against his cheek. “But I wouldn't want to start this life over for anything in the world. I can't wait to meet this baby. And to raise them with you.”
To have children with you. It was something he had hoped for so much, but had constantly put off because of his second nature and everything that came with it. But what if this dream was finally much more within his reach than he had thought?
Yes. Because that was all that really mattered to you and Remus now.
Being able to live the life you dreamed of, hand in hand. Money, illness, or anything else did not matter.
You left the bathroom as dignified as your cheeks covered with dried tears would allow.
You descended the stairs slowly, step by step, the small piece of red parchment in your hand, unable to believe it, even with the ultimate proof between your fingers.
You were pregnant. You were expecting a child, and that child was Remus's. You had never discussed having a baby with him, even though you had been together for four years already.
When you reached the bottom of the stairs, you headed for the kitchen, from where the sound of pots and pans and the bitter smell of food emanated. There, frozen in the doorway, you watched Hope busily preparing dinner, showing no sign that you were going to help her as you always did. You were far too stunned for that right now.
Your mother-in-law finally seemed to notice you, putting aside the meal preparation to take your hand in hers, a look of concern but also intrigue on her face.
You silently showed her the piece of parchment, at the sight of which her eyes widened. Clearly, she already knew what that particular color meant.
Taking your hand, she gently led you to the living room, where she sat you down on the old sofa, which had definitely seen better days but was still just as comfortable.
“How are you feeling, dear?” she asked you softly, unable to completely hide the excitement in her voice.
Her stepdaughter, the little girl she loved so much, was pregnant with her grandchild. How could she not be excited about that? But she also understood that the situation was not conducive to celebration, at least not at the moment.
She knew why you were so stressed. You had just finished school, you had not found a place to live yet, you had only just found a small job at Ollivander's, and Remus had just been fired from his job after his lycanthropy was discovered...
Having a child under these circumstances could be difficult, but not impossible.
But those were not the only reasons you were terrified. Remus hated his werewolf nature, of course. Being with him had already been extremely complicated for you, since he had constantly told you that he was dangerous and that he might hurt you without even realizing it.
And now you had to tell him that not only would he have to welcome another person into his life, but that he also risked passing on his lycanthropy to them, even though this had never been proven to be true?
The mere thought of it made you cry even harder, and even the reassuring arms of your mother-in-law, who whispered that everything would be all right, were not enough to calm you down.
At least not immediately.
However, you knew that your fiancé and your stepfather would be home any minute, which helped you regain a semblance of calm, at least for the moment. Deciding to help prepare dinner to take your mind off things, despite the waves of nausea radiating through you, you even managed to smile at one of Hope's jokes.
But it all ended when a loud thud echoed, soon followed by another, the sound of people apparating; and you knew that the moment of revelation was drawing ever closer.
You could not keep it to yourself forever. Someone was bound to notice the nausea and everything that went with it. And, of course, your belly, which will slowly starting to round out.
The meal went on as usual, calm and soothing. But not for you; you were a bundle of nerves ready to explode, silently, your nose buried in your plate, poking at the food you could not swallow with your fork, your stomach in knots. You did not miss the worried looks Hope and Remus were giving you, while Lyall, much less observant than his wife and son, was busy devouring the contents of his plate.
Your fiancé finally took your hand gently in his, all the worry in the world visible in his eyes.
“What's going on?” he finally asked, when his mother had left to fetch dessert. “You didn't look this sick when we left earlier... Has something happened?”
Remus Lupin, always so perceptive, sometimes at your expense, as he was that evening. But you were not ready to tell him the truth yet, that you were expecting a child and that they were likely to be like their father.
“Just a little nauseous, that's all,” you said, smiling as best you could. I think I'll go to bed early tonight. How did you like the house, by the way?”
The change of subject came easily, as both father and son were eager to talk about the famous house they had just visited. Although Remus did not seem entirely convinced by the excuse you had just come up with.
“It's beautiful!” exclaimed Remus, glancing at his father, who nodded with a smile. “It's spacious enough for both of us, with a large garden, and it's lost in the middle of the woods. That way, it will be easier for my transformations...”
You placed a hand on Remus's to show him that you were there, by his side, no matter what. You simply hoped that he would feel all the love you had for him through this simple gesture and the look you gave him.
And you also hoped that he would not notice that your anxiety had just gone up a notch when you heard him talk about this house. “Spacious enough for both of us.”
In other words, he had absolutely no desire or need to have a child in this house, where you would certainly live until you died. What were you going to do, then...?
You half-listened to Lyall talking about the price of the house, which was more than affordable if you borrowed a little money from the bank, which you could then pay back with your salary and the one Remus would have when he found work again. You were lost in your thoughts, and you just nodded and smiled at every word he said, carefully avoiding the worried looks Remus and Hope were giving you.
The meal finally came to an end, and you wasted no time in taking a shower and going to bed, exhausted by the day you had just had, even though you had done almost nothing. A few minutes passed, during which you tried in vain to sleep. Nausea and your thoughts prevented you from doing so.
Then, the bedroom door opened a second time, and silent footsteps approached the double bed where you were lying, with your back to the newcomer. From the sound of his footsteps, you deduced that it was Remus.
At first, you hoped that your fiancé was just going to bed, but no.
“Are you okay? You were acting strange during dinner. My mother was too, but she wouldn't tell me anything", the werewolf asked in a calm voice, in case you were indeed asleep.
What was best? Pretend to be asleep and avoid the conversation for another day, or confess everything now and be freed from all the anxiety that was eating away at you inside...?
On reflection, the second option seemed the best. You could not avoid the subject forever; besides, Remus was the father of this child, so he had a right to know too. It was your future that was at stake, now more than ever.
You sat up, now sitting on the mattress, while Remus did the same, looking at you with growing concern.
It was now or never, you knew that.
You took a deep breath before confessing everything in a tiny, trembling voice, not daring to look your fiancé in the eye for another second.
“I'm pregnant.”
The silence that followed was among the most suffocating you had ever experienced. The incessant ticking of the clock on one of the bedside tables only served to heighten your anxiety, as if to taunt you.
Finally managing to make eye contact with Remus again, you felt the blood drain from your face when you saw the expression on the young man's face.
He looked at you with eyes filled with terror, and perhaps with a little hope lost in that ocean of horror. But you did not have high hopes for that glimmer.
“You... You're joking, right...?” the werewolf finally asked, laughing nervously as he hammered the last nail into the coffin.
He did not hope that you were telling the truth, no... On the contrary, he hoped with all his heart that this was all just a big joke, and that you were going to shout “Surprise! Gotcha!” in a few moments.
But no. All of this was very real. And Remus realized this too when he saw the expression on your face; his own face turned white as snow, before he threw the covers further onto the bed, extricating himself awkwardly from the sheets, stunned by what he had just learned.
He leaned against the large wardrobe that adorned one corner of the small room, his eyes wide open, one hand over his mouth, as if he were holding back from shouting something in particular, or perhaps to prevent nausea, who knows. And you remained silent, curling up into a ball, regretting having confessed what had been bothering you so much since you had learned it a few hours earlier; you knew what Remus's state of mind was regarding children, without even having discussed it with him.
He adored them, as you could see from his behavior with Harry, who was now barely six months old, but that did not mean he was ready to have children of his own. Because of his lycanthropy.
"We... We can't have children," Remus muttered, but you heard him clearly. "What if they become a werewolf too? I can't do that to an innocent child, especially not my own. How did you get pregnant in the first place? Did you forget to take your potion at some point?"
With your head buried in your knees, which were drawn tightly against your stomach, you did your best not to cry. You shook your head in response to Remus's last question; you had never forgotten to take the famous potion your fiancé had mentioned. However, as your mother-in-law had said, every potion or medicine, no matter what it was, had its flaws.
And that was precisely what had happened.
“I want this child, Remus,” you finally managed to say, after swallowing your tears many times, your voice trembling slightly. "There's no evidence that a werewolf will necessarily give birth to a child with the same characteristics as them... This baby will be perfectly normal, I'm sure of it...!
“How can you say that?” Remus exploded, losing his temper. “We can't keep this child, we simply can't have it...! The risk is far too great, open your eyes!"
You wanted to tell him that, even if your baby did end up with symptoms of lycanthropy, you knew you would love them with all your heart regardless, just as you already loved their father. But the words stuck in your throat, unable to come out.
Remus, taking your silence as a refusal (which it was), stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him, while your tears flowed even more intensely.
You could not accept it; were you going to be condemned to abandon your baby, whom you already loved so much, because your fiancé feared they would be like him...? Was a child really that problematic in his eyes? It was your children, after all...
You now had to make a decision. Either you chose your child, or you chose your fiancé.
And your choice had already been made, the moment Remus left you alone with yourself.
